Sample records for base development program

This paper presents a model of a teacher needs-based (TNB) professional developmentprogram. The TNB model formed the foundation of three externally funded professional developmentprograms. The objectives of this model are to maximize the effects of a professional developmentprogram, and to help participants sustain their learning over the long…

The term "sports-based youth developmentprograms" is coined and defined in the context of the community youth development framework. Sports-based youth developmentprograms are out-of-school-time programs that use a particular sport to facilitate learning and life skill development in youth. Community youth developmentprograms use a community…

The authors provide examples of sports-based youth developmentprograms and offer information about program mission and vision, program design and content, evaluation results, and program sustainability. The four sports-based youth developmentprograms presented are Harlem RBI, Tenacity, Snowsports Outreach Society, and Hoops & Leaders…

Increasing the use of community-basedprograms is an important trend in improving dental education to meet the needs of students and the public. To support this trend, understanding the history of programs that have established successful models for community-based education is valuable for the creation and development of new programs. The community-based education model of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry (UMSOD) offers a useful guide for understanding the essential steps and challenges involved in developing a successful program. Initial steps in programdevelopment were as follows: raising funds, selecting an outreach clinical model, and recruiting clinics to become partners. As the programdeveloped, the challenges of creating a sustainable financial model with the highest educational value required the inclusion of new clinical settings and the creation of a unique revenue-sharing model. Since the beginning of the community-basedprogram at UMSOD in 2000, the number of community partners has increased to twenty-seven clinics, and students have treated thousands of patients in need. Fourth-year students now spend a minimum of ten weeks in community-based clinical education. The community-basedprogram at UMSOD demonstrates the value of service-based education and offers a sustainable model for the development of future programs.

The authors provide examples of sports-based youth developmentprograms and offer information about program mission and vision, program design and content, evaluation results, and program sustainability. The four sports-based youth developmentprograms presented are Harlem RBI, Tenacity, Snowsports Outreach Society, and Hoops & Leaders Basketball Camp. These programs serve diverse audiences with diverse missions, but all are focused on using sports to develop life skills and facilitate learning. Harlem RBI serves boys and girls ages seven to eighteen living in East Harlem. The program combines baseball, academic, and enrichment programs with the overall goal that participants who enter the program as vulnerable children graduate as resilient young adults. Tenacity, a nonprofit organization with headquarters in Boston, uses tennis to attract and retain students who particiate in a high-quality academic support and physical fitness program. The mission of Snowsports Outreach Society, based in Vail, Colorado, is building character in at-risk and underprivileged youth to develop their decision-making ability for healthy and successful life experiences. Hoops & Leaders Basketball Camp is a youth mentoring and leadership developmentprogram that offers summer camp experiences to improve the lives of at-risk urban youth in New York City. It uses the game of basketball to provide youth with caring mentors, develop leadership skills, and offer exposure to different educational and career paths.

Based on the data collected from the Tier 1 Program of a community-based positive youth developmentprogram (Project P.A.T.H.S.) in 2013, the current study explored the perspectives of 634 program implementers who implemented the Tier 1 Program in Hong Kong. Upon the completion of the program, the program implementers responded to a validated client satisfaction scale (Form B). The results showed that the program implementers perceived the program, implementers and benefits of the program in a positive manner. However, there were no differences among perceived program content, implementers and effectiveness across the three grades. Consistent with previous studies, perceived program predicted effectiveness of the program. Nevertheless, program implementers did not predict program effectiveness. Once again, the present findings indicated that the Tier 1 Program was well received by the program implementers.

Despite functioning on the periphery of academic scholarship, theory development, and rigorous science, the better adventure-basedprograms are functioning at the forefront of professional youth practices. This article links the core elements and processes of adventure programs to the literature on positive youth development and quality youth programming. Contemporary work on developmental systems theory, developmental cascades, and initiative are well aligned with the historical, philosophical, and pro-grammatic roots of adventure education. In addition, adventure programs afford some powerful experiences by way of distinct features such as isolation, dosage, different physical environments, holistic approaches, social experiences, and program novelty. This combination of features often provides a microcosm for youth to live, learn, experiment, and grow. Despite the strengths in prototypical adventure programs, they remain less accessible and are not easily delivered to many youth. Although there are clearly differences in adventure program and other youth activities, many of the qualities of adventure programs can be included in a broader and more accessible spectrum of youth opportunities. This article thus explains the congruency between the literature on positive youth development and adventure programs and generalizes current tenets of adventure programs to the broader context of youth practice. It is time to recognize the important role that adventure programs play for many youth and fully embrace what these diverse and successful programs can teach the general field of positive youth development.

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a web-based college awareness program that would aid college-bound students in their search for a college or university that fit their interests. Since there is an increase in computer usage among high school aged students, and there are a very few college awareness programs included in the…

This "Guide" is intended for educators who have been mandated to develop or modify an educational program's curriculum. The guide presupposes the formulation of an exit-profile and focuses exclusively on activities after the exit-profile has been developed. The development of a curriculum is based on an exit-profile that mirrors the…

This study explored the experiences of volunteers and the development of relationships within the two largest contingents of one-on-one mentoring programs: community-basedprograms and school-basedprograms. The emphases of school-basedprograms were studied, along with the quality of developed relationships between youth and mentors and the…

A description is given of a client-based approach to staff development that emphasizes ongoing professional growth and learning for teachers. The underlying assumptions of the program are that teachers possess important clinical expertise, and that professional learning is an adaptive, heuristic process that is long-term and nonlinear. The program…

Outlines the development of a leadership-training center at James Sprunt Community College. A community-basedprogramming (CBP) model was followed to encourage community input, support, and participation in the process. CBP is recommended as a way for other colleges to collaborate with their communities on issue definition and resolution. (VWC)

As program implementers' views are seldom included in program evaluation and there are few related studies in different Chinese communities, this study examined the perceptions of the program implementers who implemented the Tier 2 Program of the P.A.T.H.S. Program in Hong Kong. The Tier 2 Program was designed to promote the development of adolescents with greater psychosocial needs. In the community-based P.A.T.H.S. Project, 400 program implementers completed a subjective outcome evaluation form (Form D) for program implementers. Consistent with the previous findings, program implementers generally held positive views towards the program, implementers, and program effectiveness and their views towards these three domains did not differ across grades. In line with the hypotheses, perceived program quality and perceived implementer quality predicted program effectiveness. The present findings provided an alternative perspective showing that the Tier 2 Program was well received by the program implementers and they regarded the program to be beneficial to the program participants.

ARAP s integrated suite of research, development, and operational programs is focused on the creation of capabilities for predicting the consequences of atmospheric releases of hazardous materials. The foundation of ARAP lies in its science and technology base in multi-scale meteorological and dispersion modeling, field experiments, and software systems (databases, real-time data acquisition software, and remote-access tools). Scientific and technological advancements are integrated into DOENNSA s operational National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC) at LLNL to support emergency response, pre-event planning, preparedness, and consequence analysis. Some recent ARAP development highlights are described below.

Introduction: Primary care is challenged to meet the needs of patients with dementia. A training program was developed to increase capacity for dementia care through the development of Family Health Team (FHT)-based interprofessional memory clinics. The interprofessional training program consisted of a 2-day workshop, 1-day observership, and 2-day…

The Social and Character Development (SACD) research program was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of seven elementary-school-basedprogramsdeveloped to promote social and emotional competence, positive behavior, a positive school climate, and academic achievement, and to decrease negative behavior. Procedures undertaken by the SACD…

Described are the efforts of generating and implementing a generic model for programdevelopment at a kindergarten through sixth-grade elementary school in order to satisfy identified needs for program improvements in science. The implementation of the program involved a steering committee, the teaching staff, community members and external…

The aim of this study is to evaluate the professional developmentprogram on web based content development (WBCD) designed by the Ministry of National Education (MoNE). Based on the theoretical CIPP model by Stufflebeam and Guskey's levels of evaluation, the study was carried out as a case study. The study group consisted of the courses that…

Chiropractic pedagogy is recognizing the importance of community-based education. This article describes the manner in which a series of community-based presentations were developed, specifically targeting the elderly. With support from both the Ontario Ministry of Health and the Ontario Chiropractic Association, presentations were developed that primarily addressed the three areas of greatest concern to older persons: osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and injury prevention. The primary objectives of the presentations were to dispel any myths that older persons may have had about osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, and to suggest ways to safety-proof their homes. Additional topics discussed were exercise, nutrition and the role of chiropractic in geriatric health care. Twenty-five presentations were conducted at twelve different community centers. Presentations were conducted by chiropractic interns. The results of pre and post-surveys suggest that the primary objectives of the program were successfully met. ImagesFigure 1Figure 2p25-ap25-bp25-cp25-dp25-e

The increasing incidence and associated consequences of sport-related concussion have been at the forefront of public health concerns in recent years, prompting the need for safe and effective management guidelines and availability of appropriately trained healthcare providers. In this report we provide practical and user-friendly information regarding several important factors to consider when developing a sports concussion program, including how to select relevant team members, assess community needs and available resources, provide concussion education, secure and nurture partnerships with athletic programs, implement management strategies that align with current practice standards, and cater to athletes' unique needs in terms of program accessibility. It is hoped that the knowledge shared and proposed recommendations will be beneficial for guiding both newly developing and established concussion programs alike.

This paper documents how a team progressed through the five stages of team development as a result of a school-based professional developmentprogram using a laboratory class cycle. Six Grade two teachers and their administrator in a primary school in the southeastern United States participated in the study. All the teachers were interviewed at…

Developing and launching online programs requires nurse educators to reframe content and rethink traditional teaching methodologies. Creating a framework for course design and standardization of templates can result in online learning that is student centered while allowing the institution to scale up enrollment with quality education at the core. This article explores the considerations needed for effective, interactive online course delivery in nursing education. Working in conjunction with other university technology stakeholders, nurse educators can select the learning management system with the features that will work best for the program, develop the course structure and organization through adherence to template rules for both syllabi and course modules, and develop appropriate learning activities to assure student exposure to content identified in the course objectives. With these structure pieces in place process becomes the second focus for nurse educators in online programs. Process activities for active engagement are discussed.

The authors describe intermediary organizations whose aim is to provide technical assistance to sports organizations about infusing a youth development emphasis into their programming. Team-Up for Youth, Sports PLUS Global, and the National Recreation and Park Association are the three organizations highlighted in this article. Team-Up for Youth's…

The authors describe intermediary organizations whose aim is to provide technical assistance to sports organizations about infusing a youth development emphasis into their programming. Team-Up for Youth, Sports PLUS Global, and the National Recreation and Park Association are the three organizations highlighted in this article. Team-Up for Youth's mission is to pioneer innovative strategies to support the healthy development of youth by strengthening and expanding afterschool sports and physical activity programs. Team-Up works with youth sports providers, policymakers and public officials, and staff and students at colleges and universities in the San Francisco Bay Area. It concentrates on five areas: training and education, coaching corps, grant making, public policy, and knowledge creating and sharing. Sports PLUS Global is an international organization that delivers educational training to communities using sports to promote human development, social change, and human rights. It uses the Positive Learning Using Sports (PLUS) method to reach children, coaches, and educators in camps and afterschool programs. The PLUS method employs twelve steps that are described in detail in the article. The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) engages national partners and local park and recreation agencies to improve the quality of youth sports nationwide. NRPA, in partnership with Sports Illustrated magazine, developed and manages the Sports Illustrated GOOD SPORTS initiative. Communities are improving youth sports through the following elements: teaching life skills, empowering success among youth, promoting physical activity and healthy lifestyles, and strengthening communities.

This presentation covers how to go about developing a human reliability program. In particular, it touches on conceptual thinking, raising awareness in an organization, the actions that go into developing a plan. It emphasizes evaluating all positions, eliminating positions from the pool due to mitigating factors, and keeping the process transparent. It lists components of the process and objectives in process development. It also touches on the role of leadership and the necessity for audit.

This article shares the strategies, design, and organization associated with the development of a university-based corporate health-enhancement program known as the Physical Evaluation And Conditioning for Health (PEACH) Program. (MT)

Many professional developmentprograms fall short of accomplishing their objectives. Recently, programs have been developed that would appear to appeal to teachers and to enhance their potential to influence teachers' practice. My research describes six teachers' responses to a professional developmentprogram that employs video as a key feature. The Next Move program consists of eight two-hour sessions, and includes a one-hour video intended to stimulate discussion among a group of teachers. All group participants were invited to participate in the study. My interview sample consisted of six teachers from two groups who volunteered to participate in the study. The first group consisted of four study participants from an urban district. Twelve teachers from this district attended the initial session. Of these, seven became regular participants who completed all sessions. Most of them registered for the graduate credit option. Two study participants were from a single suburban elementary school that had five teachers; they occasionally met jointly with a group from another elementary school, so the numbers varied. Teachers volunteering for this study had from four to seventeen years experience. They were all Caucasian and included four women and two men. My data set consists of three interviews with each teacher, one at the start of the program, one after the last session, and one at the end of the school year. I interviewed each facilitator and jointly interviewed the program's producer and project manager. Additional data was obtained from observation of program sessions and classrooms. Print data sources were the program guide and the project summative evaluation. The data analysis suggests a poor match between the funder's intent and what the teachers expected, based on the program title and information in the promotional flyer. Because of these discontinuities, the program failed to meet its objectives fully. However, some interesting benefits did appear. For

Describes the development of the Self-Training and Evaluation Program (STEP), a performance-based professional developmentprogram for college instructors teaching in an individualized performance-based instructional system. The DACUM (Developing A Curriculum) model, consisting of a skill profile that serves as a curriculum plan and an evaluation…

Describes the Leadership Development Network (LDN) in Canada, a field-basedprogram for principals. Through a school improvement project, leadership development journal, meetings, and communication with other program participants, LDN engages principals in their own development as leaders and in the development of teachers who implement school…

A recently developed and state-validated model of school evaluation and programdevelopment is now being used in 174 Texas school districts. The Learner-Based Accountability System (LBAS) is a model for school evaluation and programdevelopment geared toward the improvement of school practices. The 11 components of the system incorporate the…

The purpose of this study was to examine institution-based leadership developmentprograms in rural community colleges in Illinois, and the impact of these programs in supporting and preparing future community college leaders. The study also explored the efficacy of these programs and whether their implementation aligns with the institutions'…

This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a competency based, criterion-referenced masters degree counselor education program. It delineates the program's philosophy; the procedures for establishing the exit competencies; task analyses for developing courses and field experiences; the assessment of students'…

Outlines the major elements involved in a continuing environmental education programbased on results of efforts to plan and institute land use education programs in Connecticut: the primary audiences should be local government decision makers, land managers, developers, and owners; programs should be continual and periodically updated; and close…

The Climate Schools: Ecstasy module is a universal harm-minimisation school-based prevention program for adolescents aged 14 to 16 years. The program was developed to address the need for Ecstasy prevention given the increasing use of Ecstasy use among young Australians. The core content of the program is delivered over the Internet using cartoon storylines to engage students, and the teacher-driven activities reinforce the core information. The three-lesson program is embedded within the school health curriculum and is easy to implement with minimal teacher training required. The program was developed in 2010 through extensive collaboration with students (n = 8), teachers (n = 10) and health professionals (n = 10) in Sydney, Australia. This article describes the formative research and process of planning that formed the development of the program and the evidence base underpinning the approach.

This research-based thesis project explains the governmental acts and policies, investors, and other stakeholders who have worked to promote, question, and explore the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the classroom. Research suggests that best-practice ICT integration requires using ICT alongside constructivist pedagogy.…

Physical activity-based positive youth development (PYD) programs often aim to foster character development. This study examined youth perspectives of character development curricula and the impact these activities have on their lives within and beyond the program. This case study examined youth from low-income families in a physical activity-based summer PYD program that integrated one character concept (respect, caring, responsibility, trust) in each of 4 weeks. Participants (N = 24) included a cross section of age, gender, ethnicity, and past program experience. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis and constant comparative methods. Thirteen themes were grouped in four categories: building highquality reciprocal relationships; intrapersonal improvement; moral reasoning and understanding; and rejection, resistance, and compliance. The findings provide participant-centered guidance for understanding youth personal and social development through physical activity in ways that are meaningful to participants, which is particularly needed for youth in low-income communities with limited youth programming.

Proficiency testing (PT) is a key element of a laboratory accreditation program. A tissue-based PT panel for the Sudden Oak Death pathogen, Phytophthora ramorum, used by the National Plant Protection Laboratory Accreditation Program (NPPLAP), was developed and validated in 2008 to assess proficienc...

The aim of this study is to assess the impact upon academic success of the use of a reference block-based visual programming tool, namely the MIT App Inventor for Android, as an educational instrument for teaching object-oriented GUI-application development (CS2) concepts to students; who have previously completed a fundamental programming course…

Increasingly, faith-basedprograms have provided curriculum in correctional facilities to meet the challenge of rehabilitating offenders. To attempt to identify the impact of such instruction, this qualitative case study examines the faith and moral development of the participants in one such program. Through interviews, observations, document…

The ability to evaluate and accurately articulate the outcomes associated with leadership developmentprograms is critical to their continued financial and administrative support. With calls for outcome-based accountability, the need for rigorous evaluation is particularly relevant for those programs administered through the Cooperative Extension…

The present research was conducted to identify the effectiveness of a training programbased on practice of careers in vocational interests development, to answer questions about the study and test its hypothesis the training program had been prepared and the adoption of a measure of vocational interests, as validity and reliability of each of…

Describes Drug Information, Assessment and Decisions for Schools (DIADS), computer-based information and decisions support system for development of school drug abuse prevention programs. Explains how DIADS provides access to cost-effective planning resource, helps schools assess program effectiveness, and guides selection of future activities.…

This paper describes the use of advisory boards in the development of two competency-based business programs: one graduate and the other undergraduate. Though the programs varied significantly in structure and content, both used focus group methodology to collect comprehensive and relevant input from advisory board members comprised of local…

This manuscript describes the development and testing of an Internet-based cost survey that was designed by the authors for the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care (NASBHC) to capture the costs of school-based health programs. The intent of the survey was twofold. First, the survey was designed to collect comprehensive data on costs in a…

This article summarizes the results of an evaluation of the impacts of a community developmentprogram to develop leadership skills in its adult volunteers. The evaluation featured 20 questions about leadership skills learned as a result of volunteer experiences. Data analysis strategies beyond a simple means ranking resulted in evidence…

Background Responsible beverage service (RBS) training designed to improve the appropriate service of alcohol in commercial establishments is typically delivered in workshops. Recently, Web-based RBS training programs have emerged. This report describes the formative development and subsequent design of an innovative Web-delivered RBS program, and evaluation of the impact of the program on servers’ knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy. Methods Formative procedures using focus groups and usability testing were used to develop a Web-based RBS training program. Professional alcohol servers (N = 112) who worked as servers and/or mangers in alcohol service settings were recruited to participate. A pre-post assessment design was used to assess changes associated with using the program. Results Participants who used the program showed significant improvements in their RBS knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy. Conclusions Although the current study did not directly observe and determine impact of the intervention on server behaviors, it demonstrated that the development process incorporating input from a multidisciplinary team in conjunction with feedback from end-users resulted in creation of a Web-based RBS program that was well-received by servers and that changed relevant knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy. The results also help to establish a needed evidence base in support of the use of online RBS training, which has been afforded little research attention. PMID:22999419

This study investigated students' evaluations of a positive youth developmentprogram entitled Project P.A.T.H.S. (Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social program) in Hong Kong. The participants were 19,790 Secondary 1, 2 and 3 students who joined this program at the extension phase of the project. They were required to complete a subjective outcome evaluation form to indicate their perceptions of the program content, instructors, and effectiveness. Results showed that the students evaluated this program positively. Amongst the students in the three grades, Secondary 1 students evaluated the program most favorably whereas Secondary 3 students had the relatively least favorable evaluation. In addition, the program content and instructors accounted for approximately 35% of the variance in program effectiveness. The findings generally imply the successful implementation of this program in the community-based phase.

Background: Protective factors associated with positive youth development predict health and education outcomes. This study explored trends in these protective factors and in physical activity among low-income students, and determined the impact of a school-based youth developmentprogram on these trends. Methods: This study used a…

This project to help new nurse recruits integrate into the hospital work environment had two components: the development of a new web-based orientation tool in French for new recruits and mentor training for more experienced nurses. The aim of the first component was to redesign delivery of the nursing orientation program by assessing individual needs of new recruits and developing "just in time" information sessions with online access and e-learning modules. The second component aimed to develop a voluntary mentorship training program for senior nurses that offered training on the role and responsibility of mentors. A total of 30 orientation modules were created as resources that could be adapted to the needs of each nursing unit and accessed online. Sixty nurse recruits used the programs. A mentor training program was developed, and 28 nurses were trained as mentors. The mentorship literature and guides, produced in French, will be a valuable resource for francophone nurses across Canada.

A number of cognitive interventions have been developed to enhance cognitive functioning in the growing population of the elderly. We describe the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Approach for Seniors (MBCAS), a new training program designed especially for seniors. It was conceived in the context of self-development for seniors who wish to enhance their relationship with their inner and outer selves in order to navigate their aging process more easily and fluently. Physical and psychosocial problems related to aging, as well as some temporal issues, were taken into account in developing this program. Unlike clinically oriented mindfulness-basedprograms, which are generally delivered during an 8-week period, the MBCAS training program is presented over a period of 8 months. The main objectives of this program are to teach seniors to observe current experiences with nonjudgmental awareness, to identify automatic behaviors or reactions to current experiences that are potentially nonadaptive, and to enhance and reinforce positive coping with typical difficulties that they face in their daily lives. Details of the programdevelopment and initial implementation are presented, with suggestions for evaluating the program's effectiveness.

In fiscal year 2000, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) established a collaborative effort to support the development of polymer-based, lithium-based cell chemistries and battery technologies to address the next generation of aerospace applications and mission needs. The ultimate objective of this developmentprogram, which was referred to as the Polymer Energy Rechargeable System (PERS), was to establish a world-class technology capability and U.S. leadership in polymer-based battery technology for aerospace applications. Programmatically, the PERS initiative exploited both interagency collaborations to address common technology and engineering issues and the active participation of academia and private industry. The initial program phases focused on R&D activities to address the critical technical issues and challenges at the cell level. Out of a total of 38 proposals received in response to a NASA Research Announcement (NRA) solicitation, 18 proposals (13 contracts and 5 grants) were selected for initial award to address these technical challenges. Brief summaries of technical approaches, results and accomplishments of the PERS Programdevelopment efforts are presented. With Agency support provided through FY 2004, the PERS Program efforts were concluded in 2005, as internal reorganizations and funding cuts resulted in shifting programmatic priorities within NASA. Technically, the PERS Program participants explored, to various degrees over the lifetime of the formal program, a variety of conceptual approaches for developing and demonstrating performance of a viable advanced solid polymer electrolyte possessing the desired attributes, as well as several participants addressing all components of an integrated cell configuration. Programmatically, the NASA PERS Program was very successful, even though the very challenging technical goals for achieving a viable solid polymer electrolyte material or

An update is provided on the status of the Sp-100 Space Reactor Power Program. The historical background that led to the program is reviewed and the overall program objectives and development approach are discussed. The results of the mission studies identify applications for which space nuclear power is desirable and even essential. Results of a series of technology feasibility experiments are expected to significantly improve the earlier technology data base for engineering development. The conclusion is reached that a nuclear reactor space power system can be developed by the early 1990s to meet emerging mission performance requirements.

Cell-based therapy aimed at restoring organ function is one of the most exciting and promising areas of medical research. However, a novel intervention like cell-based therapy requires physician education and training. An increasing number of physicians untrained in regenerative medicine are using cell-based therapy to treat patients for a wide variety of chronic illnesses. The current lack of training for physicians in this area combined with the sharply increasing practice of regenerative medicine is concerning for a number of reasons, namely potential harm to patients and avoidable conflicts between governmental regulatory agencies and physicians. Academic medical fellowship training programs are needed that specifically prepare physicians for treating patients with cell-based therapies for various organ systems and chronic diseases. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute established the Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Network to design and conduct clinical trials that advance the field of cell-based therapy for patients with cardiovascular disease. As part of the network, a two-year Clinical Research Skills DevelopmentProgram was supported at two centers with the goal of training early career investigators in cell-based clinical and translational research. In this review, we describe the implementation of this training program at our institution with the purpose of promoting the further development of academic fellowship programs in cell-based regenerative medicine.

Within Australia and the rest of the world paediatric orthopaedic nursing as a subspeciality nursing workforce faces challenges due to a lack of formal education programs that support the development of knowledge. Despite these challenges the need to ensure the availability of competent and knowledgeable nursing staff to positively contribute to health care outcomes remains unchanged. Thus a need has arisen to develop locally implemented education programs. A multi-tiered paediatric orthopaedic nursing transition program which incorporates work based learning processes combined, with formal assessment components, has been designed utilising Benner's "theory of novice to expert" to facilitate the growth of experts in the clinical setting driven by the requirements of individual clinical settings. The implementation of this program has led to increased confidence in the clinical setting for nursing staff which has positively influenced the care of children and their families in the orthopaedic service.

The master of management program at Cornell University focused on competency-baseddevelopment of skills for the hospitality industry through core courses, minicourses, skill benchmarking, and continuous improvement. Benefits include a shift in the teacher role to advocate/coach, increased information sharing, student satisfaction, and clear…

This study examines the effectiveness of a proposed English language programbased on integrating two forms of children literature, mainly short stories and songs, in developing the needed life skills and language learning strategies of primary school students. Besides, it emphasized the importance of providing EFL fifth year primary students with…

This article describes the development of a computer-based assessment system for children in early childhood programs, The Indiana Assessment System of Educational Proficiencies: Early Childhood (IASEP: EC). Skills in five developmental domains (i.e., cognitive, communication, social, sensory motor, and self-help) were selected and content…

This study investigates the impacts of a year-long professional developmentprogram on Kindergarten teachers' beliefs and practices and the association of these changes with student achievement in mathematics measured by curriculum-based instruments. Although teacher content knowledge was not statistically significantly different before and after…

For eight weeks, we ran an art-basedprogram for social and emotional development in Grade 5 of primary school for children aged 11-12. We met once a week for 45 minutes and worked with 25 children on improving their skills in communication, cooperation, manifestation, and recognition of emotions and identity enforcement. Each skill was covered by…

Due to the state's recent adoption of the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium standards, all leadership preparation programs are required to develop a standards-based curriculum emphasizing the principal's responsibility to lead schools committed to student success. The Midwest State University (MSU) educational leadership faculty,…

Describes the development and implementation of a World Wide Web-based electronic evaluation system for the internal medicine residency program at the University of Minnesota. Features include automatic entry of evaluations by faculty or students into a database, compliance tracking, reminders, extensive reporting capabilities, automatic…

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of using a multimedia-basedprogram for developing EFL speaking fluency skills among second year, English section student teachers. The sample of the present study consisted of thirty students at Sadat Faculty of Education, Minufiya University, Egypt. The study sample was…

Interest in child development as a knowledge base for early childhood education programs flourished in the 1970s as a result of the theories and philosophies of Jean Piaget and other cognitive developmentalists. During subsequent decades in America, reform movements emphasizing accountability and achievement became a political and social…

Presidential Helicopter Acquisition: Program Established Knowledge-Based Business Case and Entered System Development with Plans for Managing Challenges...Presidential Helicopter Acquisition: Program Established Knowledge-Based Business Case and Entered System Development with Plans for Managing...progress by establishing a knowledge- based business case for entry into system development that included an approved cost, schedule and performance

The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) established its ASM-NSF (National Science Foundation) Biology Scholars Program (BSP) to promote undergraduate education reform by 1) supporting biologists to implement evidence-based teaching practices, 2) engaging life science professional societies to facilitate biologists' leadership in scholarly teaching within the discipline, and 3) participating in a teaching community that fosters disciplinary-level science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) reform. Since 2005, the program has utilized year-long residency training to provide a continuum of learning and practice centered on principles from the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) to more than 270 participants ("scholars") from biology and multiple other disciplines. Additionally, the program has recruited 11 life science professional societies to support faculty development in SoTL and discipline-based education research (DBER). To identify the BSP's long-term outcomes and impacts, ASM engaged an external evaluator to conduct a study of the program's 2010-2014 scholars (n = 127) and society partners. The study methods included online surveys, focus groups, participant observation, and analysis of various documents. Study participants indicate that the program achieved its proposed goals relative to scholarship, professional society impact, leadership, community, and faculty professional development. Although participants also identified barriers that hindered elements of their BSP participation, findings suggest that the program was essential to their development as faculty and provides evidence of the BSP as a model for other societies seeking to advance undergraduate science education reform. The BSP is the longest-standing faculty developmentprogram sponsored by a collective group of life science societies. This collaboration promotes success across a fragmented system of more than 80 societies representing the life sciences and helps

The development of effective science educators has been a long-standing goal of the American education system. Numerous studies have suggested a breadth of professional developmentprograms that have sought to utilize constructivist principles in order to orchestrate movement toward student-led, inquiry-based instruction. Very few, however, have addressed a missing link between the modern scientific laboratory and the traditional science classroom. While several laboratory-based training programs have begun to emerge in recent years, the skills necessary to translate this information into the classroom are rarely addressed. The result is that participants are often left without an outlet or the confidence to integrate these into their lessons. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a laboratory-based professional developmentprogram focused on classroom integration and reformed science teaching principles. This was measured by the ability to invigorate its seven participants in order to achieve higher levels of success and fulfillment in the classroom. These participants all taught at public high schools in South Dakota, including both rural and urban locations, and taught a variety of courses. Participants were selected for this study through their participation in the Sanford Research/USD Science Educator Research Fellowship Program. Through the use of previously collected data acquired by Sanford Research, this study attempted to detail the convergence of three assessments in order to demonstrate the growth and development of its participants. First, pre- and post-program surveys were completed in order to display the personal and professional growth of its participants. Second, pre- and post-program classroom observations employing the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol allowed for the assessment of pedagogical modifications being integrated by each participant, as well as the success of such modifications in constructively

The repertory grid test, based on personal construct psychology, was used to evaluate the effectiveness of Project P.A.T.H.S. (Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programmes) in Hong Kong. One hundred and four program participants (n = 104) were randomly invited to complete a repertory grid based on personal construct theory in order to provide both quantitative and qualitative data for measuring self-identity changes after joining the program. Findings generally showed that the participants perceived that they understood themselves better and had stronger resilience after joining the program. Participants also saw themselves as closer to their ideal selves and other positive role figures (but farther away from a loser) after joining the program. This study provides additional support for the effectiveness of the Tier 1 Program of Project P.A.T.H.S. in the Chinese context. This study also shows that the repertory grid test is a useful evaluation method to measure self-identity changes in participants in positive youth developmentprograms. PMID:22593680

Recently, NASA formally completed the Polymer Energy Rechargeable System (PERS) Program, which was established in 2000 in collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to support the development of polymer-based, lithium-based cell chemistries and battery technologies to address the next generation of aerospace applications and mission needs. The goal of this program was to ultimately develop an advanced, space-qualified battery technology, which embodied a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) and complementary components, with improved performance characteristics that would address future aerospace battery requirements. Programmatically, the PERS initiative exploited both interagency collaborations to address common technology and engineering issues and the active participation of academia and private industry. The initial program phases focused on R&D activities to address the critical technical issues and challenges at the cell level. A variety of cell and polymeric electrolyte concepts were pursued as part of the development efforts undertaken at numerous governmental, industrial and academic laboratories. Numerous candidate electrolyte materials were developed, synthesized and optimized for evaluation. Utilizing the component screening facility and the "standardized" test procedures developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center, electrochemical screening and performance evaluations of promising candidate materials were completed. This overview summarizes test results for a variety of candidate electrolyte materials that were developed under the PERS Program. Electrolyte properties are contrasted and compared to the original project goals, and the strengths and weaknesses of the electrolyte chemistries are discussed. Limited cycling data for full-cells using lithium metal and vanadium oxide electrodes are also presented. Based on measured electrolyte properties, the projected performance characteristics and temperature limitations of batteries utilizing

The process of developing effective science educators has been a long-standing objective of the broader education community. Numerous studies have recommended not only depth in a teacher's subject area but also a breadth of professional development grounded in constructivist principles, allowing for successful student-centered and inquiry-based instruction. Few programs, however, have addressed the integration of the scientific research laboratory into the science classroom as a viable approach to professional development. Additionally, while occasional laboratory training programs have emerged in recent years, many lack a component for translating acquired skills into reformed classroom instruction. Given the rapid development and demand for knowledgeable employees and an informed population from the biotech and medical industries in recent years, it would appear to be particularly advantageous for the physiology and broader science education communities to consider this issue. The goal of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a laboratory-based professional developmentprogram focused on the integration of reformed teaching principles into the classrooms of secondary teachers. This was measured through the program's ability to instill in its participants elevated academic success while gaining fulfillment in the classroom. The findings demonstrated a significant improvement in the use of student-centered instruction and other reformed methods by program participants as well as improved self-efficacy, confidence, and job satisfaction. Also revealed was a reluctance to refashion established classroom protocols. The combination of these outcomes allowed for construction of an experiential framework for professional development in applied science education that supports an atmosphere of reformed teaching in the classroom.

The process of developing effective science educators has been a long-standing objective of the broader education community. Numerous studies have recommended not only depth in a teacher's subject area but also a breadth of professional development grounded in constructivist principles, allowing for successful student-centered and inquiry-based instruction. Few programs, however, have addressed the integration of the scientific research laboratory into the science classroom as a viable approach to professional development. Additionally, while occasional laboratory training programs have emerged in recent years, many lack a component for translating acquired skills into reformed classroom instruction. Given the rapid development and demand for knowledgeable employees and an informed population from the biotech and medical industries in recent years, it would appear to be particularly advantageous for the physiology and broader science education communities to consider this issue. The goal of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a laboratory-based professional developmentprogram focused on the integration of reformed teaching principles into the classrooms of secondary teachers. This was measured through the program's ability to instill in its participants elevated academic success while gaining fulfillment in the classroom. The findings demonstrated a significant improvement in the use of student-centered instruction and other reformed methods by program participants as well as improved self-efficacy, confidence, and job satisfaction. Also revealed was a reluctance to refashion established classroom protocols. The combination of these outcomes allowed for construction of an experiential framework for professional development in applied science education that supports an atmosphere of reformed teaching in the classroom. PMID:26628658

The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) established its ASM-NSF (National Science Foundation) Biology Scholars Program (BSP) to promote undergraduate education reform by 1) supporting biologists to implement evidence-based teaching practices, 2) engaging life science professional societies to facilitate biologists’ leadership in scholarly teaching within the discipline, and 3) participating in a teaching community that fosters disciplinary-level science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) reform. Since 2005, the program has utilized year-long residency training to provide a continuum of learning and practice centered on principles from the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) to more than 270 participants (“scholars”) from biology and multiple other disciplines. Additionally, the program has recruited 11 life science professional societies to support faculty development in SoTL and discipline-based education research (DBER). To identify the BSP’s long-term outcomes and impacts, ASM engaged an external evaluator to conduct a study of the program’s 2010–2014 scholars (n = 127) and society partners. The study methods included online surveys, focus groups, participant observation, and analysis of various documents. Study participants indicate that the program achieved its proposed goals relative to scholarship, professional society impact, leadership, community, and faculty professional development. Although participants also identified barriers that hindered elements of their BSP participation, findings suggest that the program was essential to their development as faculty and provides evidence of the BSP as a model for other societies seeking to advance undergraduate science education reform. The BSP is the longest-standing faculty developmentprogram sponsored by a collective group of life science societies. This collaboration promotes success across a fragmented system of more than 80 societies representing the life sciences and

Background Evidence-based medicine (EBM) aims to provide skills that help physicians answer clinically important questions, determine new evidence, and incorporate the acquired knowledge in practice. EBM skills are necessary for the practice of modern medicine, since physicians should use up-to-date knowledge and information to justify their medical decisions. Purpose We aimed to evaluate the EBM program implemented at Hacettepe University School of Medicine. Methods In 2004, a spiral program for the teaching and practice of EBM was developed for the first 3 years of medical school. Following this program, a practice of EBM was included in the fourth year during the surgery clerkship, after an introductory lecture. The students worked within collaborative teams of 3–5 and practiced EBM with actual cases seen in the surgical service in which they were involved. Each student was asked to complete a questionnaire that evaluated the more theoretical program from the first 3 years and the practical application in the fourth year. Results Nearly half of the students stated that the preclinical years of the EBM program were ‘adequate’, but only 30% of the students indicated that the program was practical. They stated that ‘more practical approaches were used in the fourth year, whereas more theory-based approaches were used during the preclinical years’. More than 75% of the students declared that the practice of EBM in the fourth year was useful and appropriate for team-based learning. Conclusions The EBM program was evaluated as ‘adequate’. EBM courses should be included in the entire curriculum in an integrated manner. The students understand the main philosophy of EBM in the clinical year when involved in its practical application with actual patients. PMID:24767706

Youth development lies at the heart of the Workforce Investment Act and the Youth Opportunity Movement. Like employment training programs for adults, employment training programs for youth should focus on acquisition of skills, gainful employment, and productive citizenship. Beyond these three characteristics, it is essential that programs for…

Background Due to advances in the field of oncology, survival rates for children with cancer have improved significantly. However, these childhood cancer survivors are at a higher risk for obesity and cardiovascular diseases and for developing these conditions at an earlier age. Objective In this paper, we describe the rationale, conceptual framework, development process, novel components, and delivery plan of a behavioral intervention program for preventing unhealthy weight gain in survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Methods A Web-basedprogram, the Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) program, was designed by a multidisciplinary team of researchers who first identified behaviors that are appropriate targets for weight management in childhood ALL survivors and subsequently developed the intervention components, following core behavioral change strategies grounded in social cognitive and self-determination theories. Results The Web-based HEAL curriculum has 12 weekly self-guided sessions to increase parents’ awareness of the potential impact of cancer treatment on weight and lifestyle habits and the importance of weight management in survivors’ long-term health. It empowers parents with knowledge and skills on parenting, nutrition, and physical activity to help them facilitate healthy eating and active living soon after the child completes intensive cancer treatment. Based on social cognitive theory, the program is designed to increase behavioral skills (goal-setting, self-monitoring, and problem-solving) and self-efficacy and to provide positive reinforcement to sustain behavioral change. Conclusions Lifestyle interventions are a priority for preventing the early onset of obesity and cardiovascular risk factors in childhood cancer survivors. Intervention programs need to meet survivors’ targeted behavioral needs, address specific barriers, and capture a sensitive window for behavioral change. In addition, they should be convenient

The purpose of this research was to develop a STEAM program in the context of teaching and learning a traditional Korean instrument and implement it in a high school class to determine the program's effectiveness. The STEAM program was developed through a continuous consultation process between a development team and external experts, including an…

Nine industry-based adult literacy programs across the country were studied to identify exemplary training programs and practices that business and industry trainers, planners, and policymakers and individuals in the public education sector alike could replicate in designing adult literacy programs. Training programs offered by the following…

ABSTRACT Background: Implementing complex nutrition and other public health projects and tracking nutrition interventions, such as women's diet and supplementation and infant and young child feeding practices, requires reliable routine data to identify potential program gaps and to monitor trends in behaviors in real time. However, current monitoring and evaluation practices generally do not create an environment for this real-time tracking. This article describes the development and application of a mobile-based nutrition and health monitoring system, which collected monitoring data on project activities, women's nutrition, and infant and young child feeding practices in real time. Program Description: The Liberia Agricultural Upgrading Nutrition and Child Health (LAUNCH) project implemented a nutrition and health monitoring system between April 2012 and June 2014. The LAUNCH project analyzed project monitoring and outcome data from the system and shared selected behavioral and programmatic indicators with program managers through a short report, which later evolved into a visual data dashboard, during program-update meetings. The project designed protocols to ensure representativeness of program participants. Findings: LAUNCH made programmatic adjustments in response to findings from the monitoring system; these changes were then reflected in subsequent quarterly trends, indicating that the availability of timely data allowed for the project to react quickly to issues and adapt the program appropriately. Such issues included lack of participation in community groups and insufficient numbers of food distribution points. Likewise, the system captured trends in key outcome indicators such as breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, linking them to project activities and external factors including seasonal changes and national health campaigns. Conclusion: Digital data collection platforms can play a vital role in improving routine programmatic functions

We developed a distance-based interval throwing program for Little League-aged athletes (9 to 12 years) to be used in training and rehabilitation. The timing and repetition parameters were developed from data collected during 400 innings of organized baseball during a single season, and short toss distance from Little League rules for field dimensions. There were 1022 boys from organized baseball teams in the four studies. Maximal distance and speed measurements were recorded for 853 boys. We developed a mathematical model from these data to predict maximal throwing distance from maximal throwing speed. This model was then tested on a second sample of 114 players. We compared the predicted distance with the actual maximal throwing distance; the correlation coefficient was 0.92. Forty players aged 9 to 12 participated in a study to assess degradation of speed and distance. The average variability of the speed was small (< 5 mph), but the variability in distance was large (22.4 feet). Fifteen boys then threw the entire throwing program as designed. These results show that healthy young athletes can be expected to be able to throw the predicted value of this practical progressive interval throwing program for Little League-aged athletes. The appropriate program can be assigned from age and known preinjury pitch speed.

This dissertation is concerned with the design and study of an evidence-based approach to the professional development of high-school physics teachers responding to the need to develop effective continuing professional developmentprograms (CPD) in domains that require genuine changes in teachers' views, knowledge, and practice. The goals of the thesis were to design an evidence-based model for the CPD program, to implement it with teachers, and to study its influence on teachers' knowledge, views, and practice, as well as its impact on students' learning. The program was developed in three consecutive versions: a pilot, first, and second versions. Based on the pilot version (that was not part of this study), we developed the first version of the program in which we studied difficulties in employing the evidence-based and blended-learning approaches. According to our findings, we modified the strategies for enacting these approaches in the second version of the program. The influence of the program on the teachers and students was studied during the enactment of the second version of the program. The model implemented in the second version of the program was characterized by four main design principles: 1. The KI and evidence aspects are acquired simultaneously in an integrated manner. 2. The guidance of the teachers follows the principles of cognitive apprenticeship both in the evidence and the KI aspects. 3. The teachers experience the innovative activities as learners. 4. The program promotes continuity of teachers' learning through a structured "blended learning" approach. The results of our study show that this version of the program achieved its goals; throughout the program the teachers progressed in their knowledge, views, and practice concerning the knowledge integration, and in the evidence and learner-centered aspects. The results also indicated that students improved their knowledge of physics and knowledge integration skills that were developed

The Software DevelopmentProgram described in this report was developed at Collin County Community College as a pilot associate degree program for the State of Texas. Drawing from an employer needs assessment and a DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) process, the two-year associate in applied science (AAS) program was developed to train scientific…

Ice, Ice, Baby is a K-8 science program created by the education team at the Center for the Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS), an NSF-funded science and technology center headquartered at the University of Kansas. The twenty-four hands-on activities, which constitute the Ice, Ice, Baby curriculum, were developed to help students understand the role of polar ice sheets in sea level rise. These activities, presented in classrooms by CReSIS' Educational Outreach Coordinator, demonstrate many of the scientific properties of ice, including displacement and density. Student journals are utilized with each lesson as a strategy for improving students' science process skills. Journals also help the instructor identify misconceptions, assess comprehension, and provide students with a year-long science reference log. Pre- and post- assessments are given to both teachers and students before and after the program, providing data for evaluation and improvement of the Ice, Ice, Baby program. While students are actively engaged in hands-on learning about the unusual topics of ice sheets, glaciers, icebergs and sea ice, the CReSIS' Educational Coordinator is able to model best practices in science education, such as questioning and inquiry-based methods of instruction. In this way, the Ice, Ice, Baby program also serves as ongoing, in-class, professional development for teachers. Teachers are also provided supplemental activities to do with their classes between CReSIS' visits to encourage additional science lessons, reinforce concepts taught in the Ice, Ice, Baby program, and to foster teachers' progression toward more reform-based science instruction.

Health education and health promotion have a tradition of using information and communication technology (ICT). In recent years, the rapid growth of the Internet has created innovative opportunities for Web-based health education and behavior change applications-termed eHealth promotion. However, many eHealth promotion applications are developed without an explicit model to guide the design, evaluation, and ongoing improvement of the program. The spiral technology action research (STAR) model was developed to address this need. The model comprises five cycles (listen, plan, do, study, act) that weave together technological development, community involvement, and continuous improvement. The model is illustrated by a case study describing the development of the Smoking Zine (www.SmokingZine.org), a youth smoking prevention and cessation Web site.

This study evaluated eighteen Canadian anti-stigma programs targeting high-school students. The purpose was to identify critical domains and develop a program model of contact-based interventions. Three steps were implemented. The first step involved collecting program information through twenty in-depth interviews with stakeholders and field observations of seven programs. The second step involved constructing critical ingredients into domains for conceptual clarity and component modeling. The third step involved validating the program model by stakeholders review and initial fidelity testing with program outcomes. A program model with an overarching theme "engaging contact reduces stigma" and three underlying constructs (speakers, message, and interaction) were developed. Within each construct three specific domains were identified to explain the concepts. Connection, engagement, and empowerment are critical domains of anti-stigma programs for the youth population. Findings from this study have built on the scientific knowledge about the change theory underpinning youth contact-based intervention.

Background People with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) are at a greater risk of medical issues compared with the general population. Exercise has a positive effect on physical and mental health outcomes among this population in community settings. Objectives To describe community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods used to tailor an exercise program among people with SPMI, demonstrate its impact, and present lessons learned for future research. Methods The partnership developed a project to explore the feasibility of implementing a physical activity program at a community agency among clients with SPMI. Lessons Learned Data showed improved trends in mood, social support, and physical and mental health outcomes. Facilitators and barriers must be carefully considered for recruitment and retention. Conclusions A gender-specific, group-based, tailored exercise intervention developed through collaboration with a community agency serving people with SPMI using CBPR methods is feasible. Keywords: Community-based participatory research, severe and persistent mental illness, exercise, community partnership, sustainability PMID:26412763

This study introduces a story-based e-learning oriented course tool that was designed and developed for using within "computer programming" courses. With this tool, students can easily adapt themselves to the subjects in the context of computer programming principles, thanks to the story-based, interactive processes. By using visually…

Purpose: As there is little research that investigates the experiences of minority boys participating in youth developmentprograms (Fashola, 2003), the current research focused on a sport-based youth developmentprogram for early adolescent Black and Latino boys in Hartford, CT. Specifically, the present study explored (a) what attracted minority…

The Landsat Signature DevelopmentProgram, LSDP, is designed to produce an unsupervised classification of a scene from a Landsat tape. This classification is based on the clustering tendencies of the multispectral scanner data processed from the scene. The program will generate a character map that, by identifying each of the general classes of surface features extracted from the scene data with a specific line printer symbol, indicates the approximate locations and distributions of these general classes within the scene. Also provided with the character map are a number of tables each of which describes either some aspect of the spectral properties of the resultant classes, some inter-class relationship, the incidence of picture elements assigned to the various classes in the character map classification of the scene, or some significant intermediate stage in the development of the final classes.

A program of self-evaluation was developed for teachers to use in creating a personal profile which could become the basis for designing a long-range professional developmentprogram. Seven areas for self-assessment were philosophical belief system, personality traits, interpersonal awareness traits, self-concept, learning style, teaching style,…

In response to the well-documented need for rigorous evaluations of faculty developmentprograms and increasing demands for institutional accountability, University of Minnesota's Office of Information Technology (OIT) researchers have developed an approach to program evaluation that assesses individual level changes to participants' attitudes,…

Maintaining employment is difficult for patients with schizophrenia because of deterioration of psychosocial and cognitive functions. Such patients usually require vocational rehabilitation training, which is both demanding and costly. In this study, we developed a virtual reality-based vocational rehabilitation training program (VR-VRTP) for such patients and evaluated its feasibility as an alternative to traditional rehabilitation programs. We developed the VR-VRTP to include various situations commonly encountered in two types of occupations: convenience store employee and supermarket clerk. We developed practical situations, as well as a system for providing feedback, to ensure patients would not lose interest during training. Nine participants each performed the VR-VRTP repeatedly per week for a total of 8 weeks. At baseline and after training, all participants were evaluated using the following clinical and neuropsychological tests: Manchester Scale, Clinical Global Impression, Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Zung Depression Rating Scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Stroop Test, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (RCFT), and Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT). After training, patient scores improved on the PSP, general symptoms on the Manchester Scale, AVLT, and delayed recall on the RCFT. The Manchester positive symptom score showed a trend of improvement. No significant changes were observed for other measures. The VR-VRTP may improve general psychosocial function and memory, potentially influencing real-world vocational performance. These findings provide preliminary evidence regarding the utility of the VR-VRTP in patients with schizophrenia.

Programming environments is an area of recent origin and refers to an integrated set of tools, such as program library, text editor, compiler, and debugger, in support of programdevelopment. Understanding of programs and programming has lead to automated techniques for programdevelopment. Knowledge basedprogramming system using program transformations offer significant impact on future programdevelopment methodologies. A review of recent developments in the area of knowledge basedprogramming environments, from the perspective of software engineering, is presented.

A consumer perspective can contribute much to enhancing the "ecological fit" of population-level parenting interventions so they meet the needs of parents. This approach involves building relationships with consumer groups and soliciting consumer input into the relevance and acceptability of interventions, clarifying the enablers and barriers to engagement and involvement of parents, and clarifying variables that influence a parent's program completion. The adoption of a more collaborative approach to working with consumers is important if meaningful population-level change in the prevalence of serious social, emotional, and behavioral problems in children and young people is to be achieved. Parents seeking assistance for their children's behavior come from a diverse range of socioeconomic backgrounds, educational levels, cultures, and languages. This paper examines consumer engagement strategies that can be employed throughout the process of programdevelopment, evaluation, training, and dissemination, and in "scaling up" the intervention. We argue that a multilevel public health approach to parenting intervention requires a strong consumer perspective to enable interventions to be more responsive to the preferences and needs of families and to ensure improved population reach of interventions. Examples from large-scale dissemination trials are used to illustrate how consumer input can result in an increasingly differentiated suite of evidence-based parenting programs.

A consumer perspective can contribute much to enhancing the “ecological fit” of population level parenting interventions so they meet the needs of parents. This approach involves building relationships with consumer groups and soliciting consumer input into the relevance and acceptability of interventions, clarifying the enablers and barriers to engagement and involvement of parents, and clarifying variables that influence a parent’s program completion. The adoption of a more collaborative approach to working with consumers is important if meaningful population level change in the prevalence of serious social, emotional and behavioral problems in children and young people is to be achieved. Parents seeking assistance for their children’s behavior come from a diverse range of socioeconomic backgrounds, educational levels, cultures and languages. This paper examines consumer engagement strategies that can be employed throughout the process of programdevelopment, evaluation, training and dissemination and in “scaling up” the intervention. We argue that a multi-level public health approach to parenting intervention requires a strong consumer perspective to enable interventions to be more responsive to the preferences and needs of families and to ensure improved population reach of interventions. Examples from large scale dissemination trials are used to illustrate how consumer input can result in an increasingly differentiated suite of evidence-based parenting programs. PMID:22440062

Studied Comer's School DevelopmentProgram (James P. Comer) in 23 middle schools in Prince George's County, Maryland. The study, involving repeated measurement with more than 12,000 students, shows that Comer schools implemented some of the program's central elements better than control schools did, but not all, or even most, of them. (SLD)

Used data for students in grades 5 through 8 to evaluate the effects of the Comer School DevelopmentProgram in 10 inner city Chicago, Illinois, schools over 4 years. Data suggest that the Comer program caused positive changes in standardized test scores and in the beliefs, feelings, and behaviors relative to disruptive and illegal student…

Experiential programs have become a core part of extra-/co-curricular activities in secondary schools in Hong Kong. Programs usually aim at enhancing youngsters' personal development, which incorporates self-understanding, self-other relationship, and self-social involvement (cf. Hahn, 1908-1913). Students are expected to acquire a stronger belief…

This study investigates the effective research-based characteristics of professional development (ERBCPD) of the National Science Foundation's GK-12 Program--a program which partners institutions of higher education with local school districts and places science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduates in the K-12 classroom with…

We examined effects on child development of a group-based parenting support program ("Educación Inicial" - EI) when combined with Mexico's conditional cash transfer (CCT) program ("Prospera," originally 'Oportunidades" and "Progresa"). This cluster-randomized trial included 204 communities (n = 1,113 children in…

This study aimed at developing creative thinking teaching skills for female science teachers in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) through designing a programbased on task-based teaching approach. The problem of the study was specified as the weakness of creative thinking teaching skills for science teachers in KSA and the need for programsbased on…

A hospital-based Continuity of Care program for children with special health care needs is described. A family-centered team approach provides care coordination and a medical home. The program has grown during the past 10 years to include inpatients and outpatients from multiple services and outreach clinics. Improved outcomes, including decreased length of stay, decreased cost, and high family satisfaction, are demonstrated by participants in the program. Pediatric nurse practitioners play an important role in the medical home, collaborating with primary care providers, hospital-based specialists, community services, and social workers to provide services to children with special health care needs.

This manual provides a description of the development and a guide to the use of the assessment resources developed in connection with the Far West Development, Dissemination, and Evaluation (DD&E) Functional Competence Training Program. The document concentrates on a user-oriented description of the content, validation, and use of the final…

This research aimed to assess three case studies of in-service science teachers regarding their practices of socio-scientific issue (SSI)-based teaching as they participated in a specially developed professional development (PD) program. Data were collected throughout the PD program from group discussions, observations, interviews, and the review…

The purpose of this interpretive study was to understand how students made sense of their experiences in a technology-based youth developmentprogram. This study was framed by James P. Connell and Michelle A. Gambone's, Community Action Framework for Youth Development, conceptual model for understanding youth development that identifies the…

Educators have long tried to understand what stimulates students to learn. The Swiss psychologist and zoologist, Jean Claude Piaget, suggested that students are stimulated to learn when they attempt to resolve confusion. He reasoned that students try to explain the world with the knowledge they have acquired in life. When they find their own explanations to be inadequate to explain phenomena, students find themselves in a temporary state of confusion. This prompts students to seek more plausible explanations. At this point, students are primed for learning (Piaget 1964). The Piagetian approach described above is called learning by discovery. To promote discovery learning, a teacher must first allow the student to recognize his misconception and then provide a plausible explanation to replace that misconception (Chinn and Brewer 1993). One application of this method is found in the various learning cycles, which have been demonstrated to be effective means for teaching science (Renner and Lawson 1973, Lawson 1986, Marek and Methven 1991, and Glasson & Lalik 1993). In contrast to the learning cycle, tutorial computer programs are generally not designed to correct student misconceptions, but rather follow a passive, didactic method of teaching. In the didactic or expositional method, the student is told about a phenomenon, but is neither encouraged to explore it, nor explain it in his own terms (Schneider and Renner 1980).

The 1996 National Science Education Standards provided educators and policy makers with a major impetus for constructive change in science education. The Standards not only specified what science content should be taught, but also provided organization for future science curricula. A major theme that pervades the Standards is that the classroom teacher is the most important component of classroom change and that reform efforts should be directed at improving the teaching of science through professional development for science teachers. In response to the National Science Education Standards, the Science Teachers Organization (pseudonym) prepared a professional developmentprogram for science teachers that was intended to acquaint teachers with the Standards and bring about reform of science teaching by changing teachers' instructional strategies and procedures. This program, named Preparing Schools for Science (PSS), was designed for use in all of the 50 states, but was first introduced in a southwestern state referred to as Utopia in this dissertation. Using the Provus Method of Discrepancy Evaluation, a design and installation audit of the Preparing Schools for Science Program was performed. Suggestions for program improvement, as well as a complete evaluation design for the PSS Program, were presented. Specific program modifications suggested by the research included an improved organization of personnel to monitor and supervise the program, more sustained professional development workshops, a stronger network of support for teachers. Five major implications for future professional developmentprograms emerge from this research. (1) A needs analysis should be conducted before a program is designed in order to ensure that the program meet the needs of those for whom it is intended. (2) The length and type of training are the most important factors in ensuring that teachers have sufficient time to incorporate and learn how to use new ideas. (3) Additional

To demonstrate a generalizable approach for developing maternal-child health data resources using state administrative records and community-basedprogram data. We used a probabilistic and deterministic linking strategy to join vital records, hospital discharge records, and home visiting data for a population-based cohort of at-risk, first time mothers enrolled in a regional home visiting program in Southwestern Ohio and Northern Kentucky from 2007 to 2010. Because data sources shared no universal identifier, common identifying elements were selected and evaluated for discriminating power. Vital records then served as a hub to which other records were linked. Variables were recoded into clinically significant categories and a cross-set of composite analytic variables was constructed. Finally, individual-level data were linked to corresponding area-level measures by census tract using the American Communities Survey. The final data set represented 2,330 maternal-infant pairs with both home visiting and vital records data. Of these, 56 pairs (2.4 %) did not link to either maternal or infant hospital discharge records. In a 10 % validation subset (n = 233), 100 % of the reviewed matches between home visiting data and vital records were true matches. Combining multiple data sources provided more comprehensive details of perinatal health service utilization and demographic, clinical, psychosocial, and behavioral characteristics than available from a single data source. Our approach offers a template for leveraging disparate sources of data to support a platform of research that evaluates the timeliness and reach of home visiting as well as its association with key maternal-child health outcomes.

Recent progress in distributed object technology has enabled software applications to be developed and deployed easily such that objects or components can work together across the boundaries of the network, different operating systems, and different languages. A distributed object is not necessarily a complete application but rather a reusable, self-contained piece of software that co-operates with other objects in a plug-and-play fashion via a well-defined interface. The Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), a middleware standard defined by the Object Management Group (OMG), uses the Interface Definition Language (IDL) to specify such an interface for transparent communication between distributed objects. Since IDL can be mapped to any programming language, such as C++, Java, Smalltalk, etc., existing applications can be integrated into a new application and hence the tasks of code re-writing and software maintenance can be reduced. Many scientific applications in aerodynamics and solid mechanics are written in Fortran. Refitting these legacy Fortran codes with CORBA objects can increase the codes reusability. For example, scientists could link their scientific applications to vintage Fortran programs such as Partial Differential Equation(PDE) solvers in a plug-and-play fashion. Unfortunately, CORBA IDL to Fortran mapping has not been proposed and there seems to be no direct method of generating CORBA objects from Fortran without having to resort to manually writing C/C++ wrappers. In this paper, we present an efficient methodology to integrate Fortran legacy programs into a distributed object framework. Issues and strategies regarding the conversion and decomposition of Fortran codes into CORBA objects are discussed. The following diagram shows the conversion and decomposition mechanism we proposed. Our goal is to keep the Fortran codes unmodified. The conversion- aided tool takes the Fortran application program as input and helps programmers

The purpose of this participatory action research study was to develop a plan to improve a professional developmentprogram to change faculty members' andragogical instructional practices when teaching students enrolled in online courses at a community college. A quantitative and qualitative mixed method approach to data analysis was used in…

This quantitative study, which involved development of a Value Creation Survey, examined the perceived value of leadership developmentprograms (LDPs) provided by continuing higher education for administrators in colleges and universities. Participants were administrators at Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) member institutions.…

A study was conducted to develop competency-based curriculum materials and a computer-based analysis system for farm business records to assist local vocational agriculture teachers of adult/young farmers in their group and individualized instructional programs. A list of thirty-five competencies in financial management were validated using…

It is the policy of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) that employees be given the opportunity to develop their individual skills and realize their full potential consistent with their selected career path and with the overall Center's needs and objectives. The MSFC Program Control DevelopmentProgram has been designed to assist individuals who have selected Program Control or Program Analyst Program Control as a career path to achieve their ultimate career goals. Individuals selected to participate in the MSFC Program Control DevelopmentProgram will be provided with development training in the various Program Control functional areas identified in the NASA Program Control Model. The purpose of the MSFC Program Control DevelopmentProgram is to develop individual skills in the various Program Control functions by on-the-job and classroom instructional training on the various systems, tools, techniques, and processes utilized in these areas.

The FORTRAN IV (H) computer program, DEROCS, constructs Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) resource development scenarios and quantifies the requirements for and impacts of the operation of the onshore service bases necessary to support offshore oil and gas operations. The acronym DEROCS stands for 'Development of Energy Resources of the Outer Continental Shelf.' The user may specify the number, timing, and amounts of offshore oil and natural gas finds, onshore service base locations, and multiplier relationships between offshore development activities and onshore land, supply, labor and facility requirements. The program determines schedules of platform installation, development drilling, production from platforms, and well workover, and calculates on a yearly basis the requirements for and impacts of the operation of the onshore service bases demanded by offshore activities. We present two examples of program application.

To assess the feasibility and acceptability of a diabetes education program tailored to patients with type 2 diabetes in communities and the preliminary outcomes of the intervention. Methods: Two-phase, one group, mixed-method study design was used. Modified American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) diabetes education curriculum was used as the framework for the program. Patients with diabetes participated in classes and diabetes conversation map discussion. Feasibility and acceptability of the program were evaluated by the ability to recruit and retain participants and their satisfaction with the program. Diabetes knowledge test and the summary of diabetes self-care activities (SDSCA) were used to evaluate the knowledge and behavior changes of the patients. Results: 40 patients completed the program and the attrition rate was 11.1%. All participants were “very satisfied” with the program. Significant improvement in diabetes knowledge and blood glucose monitoring and foot care were reported. Conclusion: The diabetes education programbased on modified AADE diabetes education curriculum combined with diabetes conversation map may be effective in patients with type 2 diabetes. Practice Implications: Flexible time schedule and a control group should be designed in the future study. PMID:24753774

This report describes the steps that were taken in developing and evaluating a conceptual and experiential approach to leadership training at the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) level. "U.S. Army ROTC Leadership Development: A Performance-BasedProgram" consists of two documents: a student manual and an instructor manual. The…

This article describes the development, implementation, and second-year evaluation of Project Autism Competencies for Endorsement (ACE), a web-based professional development (PD) program that is designed to train teachers currently working in the field to meet the unique and diverse needs of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). A…

This study investigates teacher attitudes about language and education. The purpose of the study is to help program designers develop professional development efforts that successfully address some of the major identified challenges teachers face when transitioning into Mother Tongue Based Multi-Lingual Education (MTBMLE), including negative…

The present research used data from Grades 8, 9, and 10 of the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, a longitudinal study involving U.S. adolescents, in order to better elucidate the process through which the strengths of youth and the ecological resources promoting healthy development (such as out-of-school-time programs) may contribute to thriving. We examined the relationship between adolescents' self-regulation skills (selection, optimization, and compensation) and their participation in youth development (YD) programs across Grades 8 and 9 in predicting Grade 10 PYD and Contribution. Results indicated that while self-regulation skills alone predicted PYD, self regulation and YD program participation both predicted Contribution. In addition, Grade 8 YD participation positively predicted Grade 9 self regulation, which, in turn, predicted Grade 10 PYD and Contribution. We discuss how the alignment of youth strengths and resources within the environment may promote positive youth development.

The present research used data from Grades 8, 9, and 10 of the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, a longitudinal study involving U.S. adolescents, in order to better elucidate the process through which the strengths of youth and the ecological resources promoting healthy development (such as out-of-school-time programs) may contribute to…

Effective school-based obesity prevention programs are needed to prevent and reduce the growing obesity risk among youth. Utilizing the evidence-rich areas of violence and substance use prevention, translation science may provide an efficient means for developing curricula across multiple health behaviors. This paper introduces Pathways to Health, a school-based obesity prevention program that was developed by translating from evidence-based violence and drug use prevention programs, Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies and the Midwestern Prevention Project STAR (STAR). We illustrate how a hypothesized underlying behavior change mechanism in two domains of risk behavior, violence and substance use, can be applied to obesity prevention. A 4-step translational process is provided and may be relevant for use in developing other curricula to address multiple health risk behaviors. Practical application and decision points are also provided.

Effective school-based obesity prevention programs are needed to prevent and reduce the growing obesity risk among youth. Utilizing the evidence-rich areas of violence and substance use prevention, translation science may provide an efficient means for developing curricula across multiple health behaviors. This paper introduces Pathways to Health, a school-based obesity prevention program that was developed by translating from evidence-based violence and drug use prevention programs, Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies and the Midwestern Prevention Project STAR (STAR). We illustrate how a hypothesized underlying behavior change mechanism in two domains of risk behavior, violence and substance use, can be applied to obesity prevention. A 4-step translational process is provided and may be relevant for use in developing other curricula to address multiple health risk behaviors. Practical application and decision points are also provided. PMID:21987475

The School-based Youth Services Program (SBYSP) provides a one-stop location or center accessible to teens within or close to the public school. It is designed to help at-risk students by coordinating services between the community and the school, with the goal of keeping students in school and helping them gain skills that lead to employment,…

This study presents findings from the first cohort of teachers in a U.S. Department of Education Mathematics Science Partnership (MSP) grant designed to support the use of a standards-based elementary school mathematics curriculum, Investigations in Number, Data, and Space (Investigations). In line with the goals of the MSP program, the 84-hour…

Medical residents do not receive adequate training in screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for alcohol and other drug use disorders. The federally funded Pennsylvania SBIRT Medical and Residency Training program (SMaRT) is an evidence-based curriculum with goals of training residents in SBIRT knowledge and skills and…

A computer-based training program was used to teach technical instructors at the Long Island Lighting Company how to create student handouts of textbook quality with a computer, software, and laser printer. All five learners successfully completed the course objective, which was to produce a one-page handout that contained text and graphics,…

Background There is a critical need for weight management programs that are effective, cost efficient, accessible, and acceptable to adults from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. mHealth (delivered via mobile phone and Internet) weight management programs have potential to address this need. To maximize the success and cost-effectiveness of such an mHealth approach it is vital to developprogram content based on effective behavior change techniques, proven weight management programs, and closely aligned with participants’ needs. Objective This study aims to develop an evidence-based mHealth weight management program (Horizon) using formative research and a structured content development process. Methods The Horizon mHealth weight management program involved the modification of the group-based UK Weight Action Program (WAP) for delivery via short message service (SMS) and the Internet. We used an iterative development process with mixed methods entailing two phases: (1) expert input on evidence of effective programs and behavior change theory; and (2) target population input via focus group (n=20 participants), one-on-one phone interviews (n=5), and a quantitative online survey (n=120). Results Expert review determined that core components of a successful program should include: (1) self-monitoring of behavior; (2) prompting intention formation; (3) promoting specific goal setting; (4) providing feedback on performance; and (5) promoting review of behavioral goals. Subsequent target group input confirmed that participants liked the concept of an mHealth weight management program and expressed preferences for the program to be personalized, with immediate (prompt) and informative text messages, practical and localized physical activity and dietary information, culturally appropriate language and messages, offer social support (group activities or blogs) and weight tracking functions. Most target users expressed a preference for at least one text message

In support of community development, natural resource, and other Extension programs, the research reported here aimed to identify current and potential outdoor recreational opportunities in the St. Johns River Basin, an inland area in northeastern Florida. We identify the characteristics of the visitors participating in the recreational activities…

The challenge of evaluating community asthma management programs is complicated by balancing the emphasis on health outcomes with the need to build community process capacity for conducting and monitoring evidence-basedprograms. The evaluation of a Georgia Childhood Asthma Management Program, a Healthcare Georgia Foundation-supported initiative for multiple diverse programs and settings, provides an example of an approach and the results that address this challenge. A "developmental evaluation" approach was applied, using mixed methods of quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, to assess the progress of community asthma prevention programs in building community within the context of: where the community is starting, community-level systems changes, and the community's progress toward becoming more outcome measurement oriented and evidence based. Initial evaluation efforts revealed extensive mobilization of community assets to manage childhood asthma. However, there were minimal planned efforts to assess health outcomes and systems changes, and the lack of a logic model-basedprogram design linking evidence-based practices to outcomes. Following developmental technical assistance within evaluation efforts, all programsdeveloped logic models, linking practices to outcomes with data collection processes to assess progress toward achieving the selected outcomes. This developmental approach across diverse projects and communities, along with a quality improvement benchmarking approach to outcomes, created a focus on health status outcome improvement. Specifically, this approach complemented an emphasis on an improved community process capacity to identify, implement, and monitor evidence-based asthma practices that could be used within each community setting.

A method was developed for using the NASA aviation data base and computer programs in conjunction with the GE management analysis and projection service to perform simple and complex economic analysis for planning, forecasting, and evaluating OAST programs. Capabilities of the system are discussed along with procedures for making basic data tabulations, updates and entries. The system is applied in an agricultural aviation study in order to assess its value for actual utility in the OAST working environment.

Many programers still believe the method of programing recommended by B. F. Skinner and N. A. Crowder to be the only effective way to write a program. Recent research suggests, however, that this method may rest on faulty assumptions. The important points in programing seem to be defining behavioral objectives, analyzing the tasks necessary to…

Web-based learning in medical education is rapidly growing. However, there are few firsthand accounts on the rationale for and development of web-based learning programs. We present the experience of clinical educators who developed an interactive online skin cancer detection and management course in a time-efficient and cost-efficient manner without any prior skills in computer programming or technical construction of web-based learning programs. We review the current state of web-based learning including its general advantages and disadvantages as well as its specific utility in dermatology. We then detail our experience in developing an interactive online skin cancer curriculum for primary care clinicians. Finally, we describe the main challenges faced and lessons learned during the process. This report may serve medical educators who possess minimal computer programming and web design skills but want to employ the many strengths of web-based learning without the huge costs associated with hiring a professional development team.

This report describes the development of the RCM team, identifying plant assets and developing an asset hierarchy, the development of sample Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEAs), identifying and prioritizing plant systems and components for RCM analysis, and identifying RCM/CBM software/hardware vendors. It also includes the Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA) for all Class I Systems, Maintenance Task Assignments, use of Conditioned Based Maintenance (CBM) Tools and Displays of the RCM software System Development to date.

Purpose: This paper aims to describe the development of WorkOut, an Internet-basedprogram designed to help young men overcome the barriers towards help-seeking and to build the skills they need to understand and manage their own mental health. Information and communication technologies (ICT) hold great potential to significantly improve mental…

This study aimed at designing a programbased on the Pragmatic theory to develop grammatical structure comprehension skills for foreign learners of Arabic and examining its effectiveness. Hence, the problem of the study has been summarized in the weakness of grammatical structure comprehension skills for foreign learners of Arabic and in the need…

We examined effects on child development of a group-based parenting support program (Educación Inicial - EI) when combined with Mexico's conditional cash transfer (CCT) program (Prospera, originally Oportunidades and Progresa). This cluster-randomized trial included 204 communities (n = 1,113 children in final sample), stratified by community indigenous status, and assigned to receive either: (T0) CCT only; (T1) CCT plus availability of EI in the community; or (T2) T1 plus promotion of the EI program by the CCT program. Interviews were conducted with the mother or primary caregiver of each child at baseline (2008, children 0-18 months old), and at follow-up (2012, children 3-5 years old); the intervention began after baseline and continued for all eligible households. Cognitive development was assessed with the Extended Ages and Stages Questionnaire (baseline) and the McCarthy Scales of Children's Development (follow-up); assessors were blinded to treatment. All analyses were intention to treat. There were significant effects on child development when EI received support and promotion from the CCT program (T₂ vs. T₀: General Cognitive Index, β = 3.90; 95% CI [0.51, 7.30], Verbal Score, β = 4.28; 95% CI [0.51, 8.05], and Memory Score, β = 4.14; 95% CI [0.62, 7.66]), effects equivalent to 0.26-0.29 SD. There were no significant benefits when the programs operated independently (T₁ vs. T₀). In stratified analyses, EI showed significant effects in indigenous communities only. We found consistent results in regressions controlling for covariates, with some reductions in magnitude of differences. Our findings suggest that group-based, parenting support programs can improve child outcomes within the context of a CCT, but only when the 2 programs are integrated and mutually supportive. (PsycINFO Database Record

unified database (UDB) program was to develop an automated system that would be useful to those responsible for the design , development, testing, and...weapon system design . Baekgound The Air Force is concerned with the lack of adequate logistics consideration during the weapon system design process. To...produce a weapon system with optimal cost and mission effectiveness, logistics factors must be considered very early and throughout the system design

In a ProgramDevelopment and Evaluation model, guidelines are presented for program directors at Delaware County Community College. Based on the premise that the process of developingprograms is essentially that of evaluating programs, the model includes the following steps for both processes: (1) involve the appropriate publics; (2) identify…

Transportation workers, who constitute a large sector of the workforce, have worksite factors that harm their health. Worksite wellness programs must target this at-risk population. Although physical activity is often a component of worksite wellness logic models, we consider it the cornerstone for improving the health of mass transit employees. Program theory was based on in-person interviews and focus groups of employees. We identified 4 short-term outcome categories, which provided a chain of responses based on the program activities that should lead to the desired end results. This logic model may have significant public health impact, because it can serve as a framework for other US mass transit districts and worksite populations that face similar barriers to wellness, including truck drivers, railroad employees, and pilots. The objective of this article is to discuss the development of a logic model for a physical activity-based mass-transit employee wellness program by describing the target population, program theory, the components of the logic model, and the process of its development.

Developing a fully operational hazardous waste regulatory system requires at least 10 to 15 years—even in countries with strong legal and bureaucratic institutions, according to a report on "The Evolution of Hazardous Waste Programs," which was funded by Resources for the Future (RFF) and the World Bank's South Asia Environment Group, and issued on June 4.The report, which compares the experiences of how four developed and four developing countries have created hazardous waste programs, indicates that hazardous waste issues usually do not become a pressing environmental issue until after countries have dealt with more direct threats to public health, such as contaminated drinking water and air pollution. The countries examined include Indonesia, Thailand, Germany, and the United States.

Workforce training in health information technology (HIT) is in demand as electronic health record adoption becomes a nationwide priority. Columbia University and Weill Cornell Medical College worked together to develop a 6-month ONC-supported certificate course. To identify relevant skills and knowledge, we conducted a needs assessment that included: interviews and focus groups with potential employers and current HIT employees; an analysis of both published literature on competencies and actual job listings; and the development of a diverse operations-oriented curriculum advisory committee, which help to synthesize the findings into 6 core curriculum modules. We selected a team-based learning approach, allowing us to train a diverse student body and providing opportunities to build collaboration skills. Our novel hybrid adaptation of team-based learning combines online and in-person activities. Lessons learned from the development of this program are likely to have widespread applicability as training programs in the field become more prevalent.

Workforce training in health information technology (HIT) is in demand as electronic health record adoption becomes a nationwide priority. Columbia University and Weill Cornell Medical College worked together to develop a 6-month ONC-supported certificate course. To identify relevant skills and knowledge, we conducted a needs assessment that included: interviews and focus groups with potential employers and current HIT employees; an analysis of both published literature on competencies and actual job listings; and the development of a diverse operations-oriented curriculum advisory committee, which help to synthesize the findings into 6 core curriculum modules. We selected a team-based learning approach, allowing us to train a diverse student body and providing opportunities to build collaboration skills. Our novel hybrid adaptation of team-based learning combines online and in-person activities. Lessons learned from the development of this program are likely to have widespread applicability as training programs in the field become more prevalent. PMID:22195056

Biodiversity conservation in developing countries has been a challenge because of the combination of rising human populations, rapid technological advances, severe social hardships, and extreme poverty. To address the social, economic, and ecological limitations of people-free parks and reserves, incentives have been incorporated into conservation programs in the hopes of making conservation meaningful to local people. However, such incentive-basedprograms have been implemented with little consideration for their ability to fulfill promises of greater protection of biodiversity. Evaluations of incentive-based conservation programs indicate that the approach continually falls short of the rhetoric. This article provides an overview of the problems associated with incentive-based conservation approaches in developing countries. It argues that existing incentive-basedprograms (IBPs) have yet to realize that benefits vary greatly at different “community” scales and that a holistic conceptualization of a community is essential to incorporate the complexities of a heterogeneous community when designing and implementing the IBPs. The spatial complexities involved in correctly identifying the beneficiaries in a community and the short-term focus of IBPs are two major challenges for sustaining conservation efforts. The article suggests improvements in three key areas: accurate identification of “target” beneficiaries, greater inclusion of marginal communities, and efforts to enhance community aptitudes.

Biodiversity conservation in developing countries has been a challenge because of the combination of rising human populations, rapid technological advances, severe social hardships, and extreme poverty. To address the social, economic, and ecological limitations of people-free parks and reserves, incentives have been incorporated into conservation programs in the hopes of making conservation meaningful to local people. However, such incentive-basedprograms have been implemented with little consideration for their ability to fulfill promises of greater protection of biodiversity. Evaluations of incentive-based conservation programs indicate that the approach continually falls short of the rhetoric. This article provides an overview of the problems associated with incentive-based conservation approaches in developing countries. It argues that existing incentive-basedprograms (IBPs) have yet to realize that benefits vary greatly at different "community" scales and that a holistic conceptualization of a community is essential to incorporate the complexities of a heterogeneous community when designing and implementing the IBPs. The spatial complexities involved in correctly identifying the beneficiaries in a community and the short-term focus of IBPs are two major challenges for sustaining conservation efforts. The article suggests improvements in three key areas: accurate identification of "target" beneficiaries, greater inclusion of marginal communities, and efforts to enhance community aptitudes.

Background Bullying is a significant public health issue among middle school-aged youth. Current prevention programs have only a moderate impact. Cell phone text messaging technology (mHealth) can potentially overcome existing challenges, particularly those that are structural (e.g., limited time that teachers can devote to non-educational topics). To date, the description of the development of empirically-based mHealth-delivered bullying prevention programs are lacking in the literature. Objective To describe the development of BullyDown, a text messaging-based bullying prevention program for middle school students, guided by the Social-Emotional Learning model. Methods We implemented five activities over a 12-month period: (1) national focus groups (n=37 youth) to gather acceptability of program components; (2) development of content; (3) a national Content Advisory Team (n=9 youth) to confirm content tone; and (4) an internal team test of software functionality followed by a beta test (n=22 youth) to confirm the enrollment protocol and the feasibility and acceptability of the program. Results Recruitment experiences suggested that Facebook advertising was less efficient than using a recruitment firm to recruit youth nationally, and recruiting within schools for the pilot test was feasible. Feedback from the Content Advisory Team suggests a preference for 2-4 brief text messages per day. Beta test findings suggest that BullyDown is both feasible and acceptable: 100% of youth completed the follow-up survey, 86% of whom liked the program. Conclusions Text messaging appears to be a feasible and acceptable delivery method for bullying prevention programming delivered to middle school students. PMID:27296471

To effectively train ethical decision-making of nursing students, a case-based computer program was developed using Flash animation. Seven ethical cases collected from practicing registered nurses' actual clinical experiences and a six-step Integrated Ethical Decision-Making Model developed by the author were employed in the program. In total, 251 undergraduate students from three nursing schools used the program in their nursing ethics course. The usability of the program and its usefulness in improving 11 abilities needed in ethical decision-making were measured; it scored higher than 4 on a 5-point scale. Of the students, 82% recommended the program as a valuable complementary tool in the teaching of a nursing ethics course. A variety of encouraging and positive experiences were reported by the students. The computer program is likely to be usefully practical in the training of abstract skills to nursing students, though certain challenges remain, such as the precise understanding of cognitive or affective responses to ethical issues.

Teaching is an increasingly recognized responsibility of the resident physician. Residents, however, often assume teaching responsibilities without adequate preparation. Consequently, many medical schools have implemented student-as-teacher (SAT) programs that provide near-peer teaching opportunities to senior medical students. Near-peer teaching is widely regarded as an effective teaching modality; however, whether near-peer teaching experiences in medical school prepare students for the teaching demands of residency is less understood. We explored whether the anatomy-based SAT program through the Human Structure didactic block at Mayo Medical School addressed the core teaching competencies of a medical educator and prepared its participants for further teaching roles in their medical careers. A web-based survey was sent to all teaching assistants in the anatomy-based SAT program over the past five years (2007-2011). Survey questions were constructed based on previously published competencies in seven teaching domains--course development, course organization, teaching execution, student coaching, student assessment, teacher evaluation, and scholarship. Results of the survey indicate that participants in the anatomy-based SAT program achieved core competencies of a medical educator and felt prepared for the teaching demands of residency.

Background The HealthValues Healthy Eating Programme is a standalone Internet-based intervention that employs a novel strategy for promoting behavior change (analyzing one’s reasons for endorsing health values) alongside other psychological principles that have been shown to influence behavior. The program consists of phases targeting motivation (dietary feedback and advice, analyzing reasons for health values, thinking about health-related desires, and concerns), volition (implementation intentions with mental contrasting), and maintenance (reviewing tasks, weekly tips). Objective The aim was to examine the effects of the program on consumption of fruit and vegetables, saturated fat, and added sugar over a 6-month period. Methods A total of 82 females and 18 males were recruited using both online and print advertisements in the local community. They were allocated to an intervention or control group using a stratified block randomization protocol. The program was designed such that participants logged onto a website every week for 24 weeks and completed health-related measures. Those allocated to the intervention group also completed the intervention tasks at these sessions. Additionally, all participants attended laboratory sessions at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. During these sessions, participants completed a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ, the Block Fat/Sugar/Fruit/Vegetable Screener, adapted for the UK), and researchers (blind to group allocation) measured their body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and heart rate variability (HRV). Results Data were analyzed using a series of ANOVA models. Per protocol analysis (n=92) showed a significant interaction for fruit and vegetable consumption (P=.048); the intervention group increased their intake between baseline and 6 months (3.7 to 4.1 cups) relative to the control group (3.6 to 3.4 cups). Results also showed overall reductions in saturated fat intake (20.2 to 15.6 g, P

Objectives The aim of this study was to estimate the initial development costs for an innovative talk show format tailored intervention delivered via the interactive web, for increasing cancer screening in women 50 to 75 who were non-adherent to screening guidelines for colorectal cancer and/or breast cancer. Methods The cost of the intervention development was estimated from a societal perspective. Micro costing methods plus vendor contract costs were used to estimate cost. Staff logs were used to track personnel time. Non-personnel costs include all additional resources used to produce the intervention. Results Development cost of the interactive web based intervention was $.39 million, of which 77% was direct cost. About 98% of the cost was incurred in personnel time cost, contract cost and overhead cost. Conclusions The new web-based disease prevention medium required substantial investment in health promotion and media specialist time. The development cost was primarily driven by the high level of human capital required. The cost of intervention development is important information for assessing and planning future public and private investments in web-based health promotion interventions. PMID:25749548

Background: The school-based Dutch Obesity Intervention in Teenagers (DOiT) program is an evidence-based obesity prevention program. In preparation for dissemination throughout the Netherlands, this study aimed to adapt the initial program and to develop an implementation strategy and materials. Methods: We revisited the Intervention Mapping (IM)…

Background Dietary factors have been discussed to influence risk or disease course of multiple sclerosis (MS). Specific diets are widely used among patients with MS. Objective To design and pilot-test an evidence based patient education program on dietary factors in MS. Methods We performed a systematic literature search on the effectiveness of dietary interventions in MS. A web-based survey among 337 patients with MS and 136 healthy controls assessed knowledge, dietary habits and information needs. An interactive group education program was developed and pilot-tested. Results Fifteen randomised-controlled trials (RCTs) were included in the systematic review. Quality of evidence was low and no clear benefit could be seen. Patients with MS significantly more often adhered to a `Mediterranean Diet`(29.7% versus 14.0%, p<0.001) compared to controls. 143 (42%) of the patients with MS had tried special MS diets. Important information needs addressed effectiveness of MS diets (44%) and relation between nutrition and MS (43%). A pilot test of our newly developed patient education program with 13 participants showed excellent comprehensibility and the MS-specific content was judged as very important. However, the poor evidence base for dietary approaches in MS was perceived disappointing. Conclusions Development and pilot-testing of an evidence-based patient education program on nutrition and MS is feasible. Patient satisfaction with the program suffers from the lack of evidence. Further research should focus on generating evidence for the potential influence of lifestyle habits (diet, physical activity) on MS disease course thus meeting the needs of patients with MS. PMID:27764237

IDSs that own a health plan or enter a full-risk-sharing contract with a payer are in an position to benefit from developing disease-management programs that reduce acute care admissions. Full-risk assumption allows an IDS to realize cost savings due to more cost-effective care management that offset revenue lost due to reduced acute care services. Crozer-Keystone Health System (CKHS) in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, implemented a disease-management program for frail elderly enrollees in its Medicare + Choice plan, MedCare Plus. Projected first-year savings were estimated at about $619,000 over 1,200 member months. First-year results showed a 36 percent reduction in acute care admissions, with savings of $242,749 over 613 member months. The difference between actual results and projected savings was attributed to social and other factors not accounted for in the cost-benefit analysis. Still, lost revenues from acute care admissions were more than offset by the savings realized.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system. Fatigue is a common and disabling symptom, often causing decreased quality of life, social withdrawal, and unemployment. We developed and studied the feasibility of a cognitive-behavioral group intervention to manage fatigue in MS. We aimed to integrate the concepts of cognitive-behavioral therapy and evidence-based patient information. Methods: We conducted patient interviews and a focus group to assess patients' interest in and need for fatigue self-management training and developed the program accordingly. The program consists of six 90-minute modules, which were structured with the use of moderation cards, helping to guarantee treatment fidelity. The program was tested on three pilot groups (N = 16) in a rehabilitation center. Fatigue, depression, and coping self-efficacy were assessed at baseline and after the intervention. Acceptance and general satisfaction with the program were also evaluated. Results: Patient interviews elicited different characteristics of fatigue, suggesting that patients had different requirements. The program was very acceptable to patients. Pre-post assessments of the pilot study showed significantly improved scores on the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (P = .013) but not on the Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive Functions and the 30-item Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology. Conclusions: These preliminary results suggest that this program is a feasible cognitive-behavioral group training program that may improve coping self-efficacy and has the potential to subsequently reduce fatigue. The next step is evaluation of the program in a randomized controlled trial. PMID:27252600

One of the major concerns of the Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC) is the need for an effective monitoring and evaluation of program outcome domains that can be associated with courses taught under the Mechanical Engineering program. However, an effective monitoring method that can determine the results of each program outcome using Bloom's…

This is the configuration management Plan for the AdaNet Repository Based Software Engineering (RBSE) contract. This document establishes the requirements and activities needed to ensure that the products developed for the AdaNet RBSE contract are accurately identified, that proposed changes to the product are systematically evaluated and controlled, that the status of all change activity is known at all times, and that the product achieves its functional performance requirements and is accurately documented.

Introduction Ethiopia is one of the sub-Saharan countries most affected by high disease burden, aggravated by a shortage and imbalance of human resources, geographical distance, and socioeconomic factors. In 2004, the government introduced the Health Extension Program (HEP), a primary care delivery strategy, to address the challenges and achieve the World Health Organization Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) within a context of limited resources. Case description The health system was reformed to create a platform for integration and institutionalization of the HEP with appropriate human capacity, infrastructure, and management structures. Human resources were developed through training of female health workers recruited from their prospective villages, designed to limit the high staff turnover and address gender, social and cultural factors in order to provide services acceptable to each community. The service delivery modalities include household, community and health facility care. Thus, the most basic health post infrastructure, designed to rapidly and cost-effectively scale up HEP, was built in each village. In line with the country’s decentralized management system, the HEP service delivery is under the jurisdiction of the district authorities. Discussion and evaluation The nationwide implementation of HEP progressed in line with its target goals. In all, 40 training institutions were established, and over 30,000 Health Extension Workers have been trained and deployed to approximately 15,000 villages. The potential health service coverage reached 92.1% in 2011, up from 64% in 2004. While most health indicators have improved, performance in skilled delivery and postnatal care has not been satisfactory. While HEP is considered the most important institutional framework for achieving the health MDGs in Ethiopia, quality of service, utilization rate, access and referral linkage to emergency obstetric care, management, and evaluation of the program are the key

Problems with attention and symptom distress are common clinical features reported by women who receive adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. Mindfulness practice significantly improves attention and mindfulness programs significantly reduce symptom distress in patients with cancer, and, more specifically, in women with breast cancer. Recently, a pilot investigation of a music therapy program, built on core attitudes of mindfulness practice, reported significant benefits of enhanced attention and decreased negative mood and fatigue in women with breast cancer. This paper delineates the design and development of the mindfulness-based music therapy (MBMT) program implemented in that pilot study and includes clients' narrative journal responses. Conclusions and recommendations, including recommendation for further exploration of the function of music in mindfulness practice are provided.

Problems with attention and symptom distress are common clinical features reported by women who receive adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. Mindfulness practice significantly improves attention and mindfulness programs significantly reduce symptom distress in patients with cancer, and, more specifically, in women with breast cancer. Recently, a pilot investigation of a music therapy program, built on core attitudes of mindfulness practice, reported significant benefits of enhanced attention and decreased negative mood and fatigue in women with breast cancer. This paper delineates the design and development of the mindfulness-based music therapy (MBMT) program implemented in that pilot study and includes clients’ narrative journal responses. Conclusions and recommendations, including recommendation for further exploration of the function of music in mindfulness practice are provided. PMID:27517966

Described recent development of communications protocols, services, and associated tools targeted to reduce risk, reduce cost and increase efficiency of IND infrastructure and supported mission operations. Space-based networking technologies developed were: a) Provide differentiated quality of service (QoS) that will give precedence to traffic that users have selected as having the greatest importance and/or time-criticality; b) Improve the total value of information to users through the use of QoS prioritization techniques; c) Increase operational flexibility and improve command-response turnaround; d) Enable new class of networked and collaborative science missions; e) Simplify applications interfaces to communications services; and f) Reduce risk and cost from a common object model and automated scheduling and communications protocols. Technologies are described in three general areas: communications scheduling, middleware, and protocols. Additionally developed simulation environment, which provides comprehensive, quantitative understanding of the technologies performance within overall, evolving architecture, as well as ability to refine & optimize specific components.

Requirements-to-Design-to-Code (R2D2C) is an approach to the engineering of computer-based systems that embodies the idea of requirements-basedprogramming in system development. It goes further; however, in that the approach offers not only an underlying formalism, but full formal development from requirements capture through to the automatic generation of provably-correct code. As such, the approach has direct application to the development of systems requiring autonomic properties. We describe a prototype tool to support the method, and illustrate its applicability to the development of LOGOS, a NASA autonomous ground control system, which exhibits autonomic behavior. Finally, we briefly discuss other areas where the approach and prototype tool are being considered for application.

The ToyBox intervention was developed using an evidence-based approach, using the findings of four reviews. These reviews included three critical and narrative reviews of educational strategies and psychological approaches explaining young children's acquisition and formation of energy-balance related behaviours, and the management of these behaviours, and also a systematic review of behavioural models underpinning school-based interventions in preschool and school settings for the prevention of obesity in children aged 4-6 years. This paper summarises and translates the findings from these reviews into practical evidence based recommendations for researchers and policy-makers to consider when developing and implementing interventions for the prevention of overweight and obesity in young (aged 4-6 years) children. The recommendations focus on two behaviours, physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and healthy eating, and include general recommendations, intervention approaches, interventions content, and simple messages. The review also briefly examines the role that the commercial sector plays in hindering or facilitating attempts to create healthy food environments for children. This paper also recognises that childhood obesity is not an issue for the education sector alone; it needs to be tackled at a multi sectoral level, recognizing the particularly important role of local governments, nongovernment organizations and the media.

The overall objective of this program was to develop regenerable sorbents for use in the temperature range of 343 to 538 C (650 to 1000 F) to remove hydrogen sulfide (H{sub 2}S) from coal-derived fuel gases in a fluidized-bed reactor. The goal was to develop sorbents that are capable of reducing the H{sub 2}S level in the fuel gas to less than 20 ppmv in the specified temperature range and pressures in the range of 1 to 20 atmospheres, with chemical characteristics that permit cyclic regeneration over many cycles without a drastic loss of activity, as well as physical characteristics that are compatible with the fluidized bed application.

This study investigates the effective research-based characteristics of professional development (ERBCPD) of the National Science Foundation's GK-12 Program—a program which partners institutions of higher education with local school districts and places science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduates in the K-12 classroom with teachers. Final evaluations of 26 GK-12 sites were analyzed with a priori and emergent content analyses, which included rigorous inter- and intra-reliability testing. The results of the a priori analysis demonstrated that the GK-12 program incorporates all ERBCPD, but to drastically varying degrees (76-5%). The a priori characteristics that appeared most often were "Treats Fellows as professionals," and "Professional development is on-going." The two emergent characteristics included "Improves communication skills" and "Has real world application."

This paper provides guidelines and examples for developing a college outdoor education program. From a literature review, an examination of existing college outdoor programs, and the author's personal experiences with outdoor programming at the California State University (Chico), the following 15 steps in developing a program were derived: (1)…

This bulletin traces the history of Oregon's Child Development Specialist (CDS) program, desribes development of the program model, discusses the qualifications and role of the specialist, presents a brief overview of the implementation of the CDS program in Salem (Oregon), provides evidence of the state program's success, and suggests methods for…

The Communication across the Curriculum (CAC) program at the University of Melbourne (Australia) was set up in a top-down manner, which was partly driven by outside pressures. Although informed by writing-across-the-curriculum theory and practice, the program reflects the university's original concern about the teaching of communication skills by…

The Cedar Rapids Community School District used the CIPP (context, input, process, and product) evaluation model to improve its spelling program. During the CIPP model's final stage of product evaluation, the district used test data to decide whether the revised spelling program maintained spelling ability and provided for additional growth. The…

The System for Program Information in Continuing Education (SPICE), an information system being implemented at The University of Calgary (Alberta, Canada), was designed to facilitate the collection, manipulation, and reporting of evaluative data from continuing education program participants. The objectives of the system include the following: to…

Provides a brief sample of degree and non-degree programs currently offered to administrators, staff and faculty in community college leadership. Includes listings on: (1) programs sponsored by national organizations and associations; (2) regional workshops and seminars; (3) community college programs; (4) continuing education programs by…

Background Although essential, many medical practices are unable to adequately support irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patient self-management. Web-basedprograms can help overcome these barriers. Methods We developed, assessed, and refined an integrated IBS self-management program (IBS Self-care). We then conducted a 12-week pilot test to assess program utilization, evaluate its association with patients’ self-efficacy and quality of life, and collect qualitative feedback to improve the program. Results 40 subjects with generally mild IBS were recruited via the internet to participate in a 12-week pilot study. Subjects found the website easy to use (93%) and personally relevant (95%), and 90% would recommend it to a friend. Self-rated IBS knowledge increased from an average of 47.1 on a 100-point VAS scale (SD 22.1) at baseline to 77.4 (SD: 12.4) at week 12 (p<0.0001). There were no significant changes in patient self-efficacy (Patient Activation Measure) or quality of life (IBS -Quality of Life Scale). Conclusions The IBS Self-Care program was well received by users who after 12 weeks reported improved knowledge about IBS, but no significant changes in self-efficacy or quality of life. If applied to the right population, this low cost solution can overcome some of the deficiencies of medical care and empower individuals to better manage their own IBS. PMID:25482042

Simulation-based training enables learning in controlled environments which nevertheless mimic real-world scenarios. It has proven effective in the training of medical personnel and affords rapid assimilation and integration of necessary skills. Non-traditional caregivers often operate in austere environments, where resource and personnel limitations preclude more standard provision of care by highly trained and fully equipped health care teams. In these settings, training time for the caregivers may be limited, with long gaps between time of the training and use of the skills, a limited grasp of the underlying physiology, and unfamiliarity with "medical English" which can render it difficult to communicate concepts to more advanced practitioners when such interaction can take place, as for example, when telemedicine can be used to project medical skills further forward . Methods: Simulation-based training can assist in the familiarization of caregivers to the environment, ensure adequate execution of skills at the appropriate time(s), and allow practice of telemedicine communication patterns between the mentor and caregiver. Results: Scenario-based training can and has been used for initial and sustainment training modules, including self-taught modules for use in the field. Strict identification of the critical concepts is vital, as is development and practice of technically simple procedures wherever possible. Medical devices can off-load tasks from caregivers, as well as to minimize the necessary level of caregiver knowledge, while integrated simulations among all members of the mission team can improve communication and efficiency. Discuss ion: Nontraditional caregivers face unique challenges when learning to provide medical care. Scenario-based curricula allow lesson plans to be tailored to each group's individual needs, as well as being suited for the participation of numerous groups, including the caregiver, evacuation/transport staff, decision-makers, and

The purpose of this study was to develop a theory-basedprogram for Chinese early adolescents in order to promote their sexual and reproductive health and to prevent HIV infection. The program was designed based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral skills model and a needs assessment among the stakeholders. A technical collaborative action research approach was applied. The study's participants were 102 early adolescents in a public middle school in mainland China, with the involvement of other key stakeholders, including 15 teachers and 12 parents. The results revealed a statistically significant improvement in the scores of sexual and reproductive health promotion and HIV prevention information, motivation, and behavioral skills after the program's implementation. Meanwhile, qualitative data from the early adolescents' reflection indicated that the content was useful and comprehensive, the trainers were friendly and knowledgeable, and participatory learning with an "edutainment" style was especially impressive. Additionally, the early adolescents expressed that they could apply the knowledge and skills in their daily life, which would benefit themselves and their family and peers. The Information-Motivation-Behavioral skills model could be explored in a non-Western context and the program was shown to be acceptable for use in a Chinese middle school setting.

This study examined correlates of long-term participation in a positive youth development (PYD) program. Low-income youth (N = 215) age 8-13 of diverse ethnicity participating in a summer physical activity-based PYD program completed questionnaires at the beginning and end of the program (year 1) and at the beginning of year 2. Those with lower…

Protective clothing is of major importance in our space program. The authors discuss the requirements, selection, and testing of materials considered for use in the program. The various types of garments worn by astronauts and support personnel are briefly described.

This paper begins by outlining the boundaries and assumptions of contemporary psychology as determined by the current American Psychological Association "Criteria for Accreditation of Doctoral Training and Internship Programs in Professional Psychology." The research and activities which led to the establishment of a two-year M.A.…

The purpose of fire education is to eliminate unwanted fires and to minimize death, injury, and loss. The study of specific burn cases treated at a regional hospital is important in determining a fire education program with the components of: rationale, objectives, prerequisites, pre-assessment, learning alternatives, and post-assessment. (JN)

In Belle Glade, Florida, a slum populated by Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, migrant farmworkers, and Haitians, where the incidence of most major health risks was far greater than anywhere else in the state, a program was planned and partially implemented which aimed to provide health services to at-risk, disadvantaged teenage mothers and their…

The commercial data acquisition systems used for seismic exploration are usually expensive equipment. In this work, a low cost data acquisition system (Geophonino) has been developed for recording seismic signals from a vertical geophone. The signal goes first through an instrumentation amplifier, INA155, which is suitable for low amplitude signals like the seismic noise, and an anti-aliasing filter based on the MAX7404 switched-capacitor filter. After that, the amplified and filtered signal is digitized and processed by Arduino Due and registered in an SD memory card. Geophonino is configured for continuous registering, where the sampling frequency, the amplitude gain and the registering time are user-defined. The complete prototype is an open source and open hardware system. It has been tested by comparing the registered signals with the ones obtained through different commercial data recording systems and different kind of geophones. The obtained results show good correlation between the tested measurements, presenting Geophonino as a low-cost alternative system for seismic data recording.

A Mobile Satellite System (MSS) will provide data and voice communications over a vast geographical area to a large population of mobile users. A technical overview is given of the extensive research and development studies and development performed under NASA's mobile satellite program (MSAT-X) in support of the introduction of a U.S. MSS. The critical technologies necessary to enable such a system are emphasized: vehicle antennas, modulation and coding, speech coders, networking and propagation characterization. Also proposed is a first, and future generation MSS architecture based upon realized ground segment equipment and advanced space segment studies.

The Advanced Launch System is a joint NASA - Air Force program originally directed to define the concept for a modular family of launch vehicles, to continue developmentprograms and preliminary design activities focused primarily on low cost to orbit, and to offer maturing technologies to existing systems. The program was restructed in the spring of 1990 as a result of funding reductions and renamed the Advanced Launch DevelopmentProgram. This paper addresses the program's status following that restructuring and as NASA and the Air Force commence a period of deliberation over future space launch needs and the budgetary resources available to meet those needs. The program is currently poised to protect a full-scale development decision in the mid-1990's through the appropriate application of program resources. These resources are concentrated upon maintaining the phase II system contractor teams, continuing the Space Transportation Engine development activity, and refocusing the Advanced DevelopmentProgram demonstrated activities.

Background In addition to medical intervention and counseling, patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) need to manage their disease and its consequences by themselves in daily life. Objective The aim of this paper is to describe the development of “Vascular View,” a comprehensive, multi-component, tailored, Web-based, self-management support program for patients with CVD, and how this program will be tested in an early randomized controlled trial (RCT). Methods The Vascular View program was systematically developed in collaboration with an expert group of 6 patients, and separately with a group of 6 health professionals (medical, nursing, and allied health care professionals), according to the following steps of the intervention mapping (IM) framework: (1) conducting a needs assessment; (2) creating matrices of change objectives; (3) selecting theory-based intervention methods and practical applications; (4) organizing methods and applications into an intervention program; (5) planning the adaption, implementation, and sustainability of the program, and (6) generating an evaluation plan. Results The needs assessment (Step 1) identified 9 general health problems and 8 determinants (knowledge, awareness, attitude, self-efficacy, subjective norm, intention, risk perception, and habits) of self-managing CVD. By defining performance and change objectives (Step 2), 6 topics were distinguished and incorporated into the courses included in Vascular View (Steps 3 and 4): (1) Coping With CVD and its Consequences; (2) Setting Boundaries in Daily Life; (3) Lifestyle (general and tobacco and harmful alcohol use); (4) Healthy Nutrition; (5) Being Physically Active in a Healthy Way; and (6) Interaction With Health Professionals. These courses were based on behavioral change techniques (BCTs) (eg, self-monitoring of behavior, modeling, re-evaluation of outcomes), which were incorporated in the courses through general written information: quotes from and videos of patients

This paper describes the use of a unique "Learning and Feedbackˮ approach to customize cancer clinical trials education programs for Community Bridges, a peer training intervention designed for African-American communities in North Carolina. Generic community education modules were demonstrated with key community leaders who were designated as trainers. Quantitative and qualitative assessments were provided on understanding of content, comfort with material, and cultural relevance. The generic materials were adapted into three revised modules, all featuring key messages about cancer clinical trials, discussion regarding distrust of medical research, common misconceptions about trials, patient protections, and a call to action to prompt increased inquiry about locally available trials. The revised modules were then used as part of a train-the-trainer program with 12 African-American community leaders. ENACCT's use of the Learning and Feedback process is an innovative method for culturally adapting clinical trials education.

Purpose This formative research study describes the development and preliminary evaluation of a theory-guided, on-line multimedia psycho-educational program (PROGRESS) designed to facilitate adaptive coping among prostate cancer patients transitioning from treatment into long-term survivorship. Methods Guided by the Cognitive-Social Health Information Processing Model (C-SHIP) and using health communications best practices, we conducted a two phase, qualitative formative research study with early stage prostate cancer patients (n=29) to inform the web programdevelopment. Phase 1 included individual (n=5) and group (n=12) interviews to help determine intervention content and interface. Phase 2 employed iterative user/usability testing (n=12) to finalize the intervention. Interview data were independently coded and collectively analyzed to achieve consensus. Results Survivors expressed interest in action-oriented content on: (1) managing treatment side effects; (2) handling body image and co-morbidities related to overweight/obesity; (3) coping with emotional and communication issues; (4) tips to reduce disruptions of daily living activities, and (5) health skills training tools. Patients also desired the use of realistic and diverse survivor images. Conclusions Incorporation of an established theoretical framework, application of multimedia intervention development best practices, and an evidence-based approach to content and format, resulted in a psycho-educational tool that comprehensively addresses survivors' needs in a tailored fashion. Implications for Cancer Survivors The results suggest that an interactive web-based multimedia program is useful for survivors if it covers the key topics of symptom control, emotional well-being, and coping skills training; this tool has the potential to be disseminated and implemented as an adjunct to routine clinical care. PMID:25697335

This report of the National Conference on Home-Based Child DevelopmentPrograms is intended to serve as a resource document to people interested in developmental programs for parents and children. The report includes (1) a summary of Home Start evaluation findings; (2) brief descriptions of programs such as Dr. Ira Gordon's Florida Parent…

INTRODUCTION Family health history is a strong predictor of disease risk. To reduce the morbidity and mortality of many chronic diseases, risk-stratified evidence-based guidelines strongly encourage the collection and synthesis of family health history to guide selection of primary prevention strategies. However, the collection and synthesis of such information is not well integrated into clinical practice. To address barriers to collection and use of family health histories, the Genomedical Connection developed and validated MeTree, a Web-based, patient-facing family health history collection and clinical decision support tool. MeTree is designed for integration into primary care practices as part of the genomic medicine model for primary care. METHODS We describe the guiding principles, operational characteristics, algorithm development, and coding used to develop MeTree. Validation was performed through stakeholder cognitive interviewing, a genetic counseling pilot program, and clinical practice pilot programs in 2 community-based primary care clinics. RESULTS Stakeholder feedback resulted in changes to MeTree’s interface and changes to the phrasing of clinical decision support documents. The pilot studies resulted in the identification and correction of coding errors and the reformatting of clinical decision support documents. MeTree’s strengths in comparison with other tools are its seamless integration into clinical practice and its provision of action-oriented recommendations guided by providers’ needs. LIMITATIONS The tool was validated in a small cohort. CONCLUSION MeTree can be integrated into primary care practices to help providers collect and synthesize family health history information from patients with the goal of improving adherence to risk-stratified evidence-based guidelines. PMID:24044145

In recognition of the importance of futures information in planning efforts and continued staff development in achieving institutional goals, Lincoln Land Community College (LLCC), in Springfield, Illinois, undertook a project to develop and validate a strategic planning process for human resource development of faculty and staff in a radiologic…

This paper briefly reviews seven cement-based waste form developmentprograms at six of the US Department of Energy (DOE) sites. These sites have developed a variety of processes that range from producing 25 mm (1 in.) diameter pellets in a glove box to producing 240 m (800 ft.) diameter grout sheets within the bedding planes of a deep shale formation. These successful applications of cement-based waste forms to the many radioactive waste streams from nuclear facilities bear witness to the flexibility and reliability of this class of materials. This paper also discusses the major issues regarding the application of cement-based waste forms to radioactive waste management problems. These issues are (1) leachability, (2) radiation stability, (3) thermal stability, (4) phase complexity of the matrix, and (5) effects of the waste stream composition. A cursory review of current research in each of these areas is given This paper also discusses future trends in cement-based waste form development and applications. 31 references, 11 figures.

Local community participation and ex situ conservation has the potential to assist the recovery of the endangered Egyptian tortoise, Testudo kleinmanni. We initiated an in situ community-based conservation and research program from a captive population of T. kleinmanni. We used a captive population of the Egyptian tortoise to train a member of the local community as a research technician and used his indigenous tracking skills and knowledge of the area to collect activity and dietary data on 28 captive tortoises. We overcame problems with illiteracy by creating a data sheet based on symbols and numbers. This data sheet allowed us to use the indigenous knowledge of various people from the community, and employ them in the future. Our local community approach to data collection, in conjunction with a craft program, made the conservation of the Egyptian tortoise more rewarding to the local community by providing a more sustainable form of income than collecting animals for the pet trade. Our multidimensional approach (local community participation as research technicians, craft program, and trust building) for gaining local support eventually led to the rediscovery of wild Egyptian tortoises in North Sinai, which was significant, as this species was presumed extinct in Egypt. We have now shifted our focus to in situ conservation, using the research and local capacity building template developed from this captive population study. Our template can be used by zoos and conservation organizations with small budgets and collections of native species in natural habitats to create similar captive research programs that can be applied to in situ conservation. Zoo Biol 26:397-406, 2007. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Young people today face a multitude of challenges, especially when growing up in an urban environment. Risk factors such as poverty, exposure to gangs, drugs, and community and family violence threaten healthy development. The positive youth development (PYD) approach attempts to combat these personal and environmental challenges by providing…

Reports that strategic planning is as important to continuing education as it is to business. Discusses planning for continuing education as it relates to modifying programs and markets to reach organizational goals.

The US Subseabed Disposal Program is assessing the scientific feasibility of subseabed emplacement of high-level nuclear wastes. Studies of disposal methods and of the barriers to radionuclide migration (canister, waste form, and sediment) suggest that environmental information will be needed to address the impact of accidental release of radionuclides in the deep sea. Biological, physical, and geochemical data are being collected from field and laboratory studies as well as from literature searches. These data are being analyzed using a multicompartmental radionuclide transport model and appropriate physical oceanographic models. The data integrated into this framework will help answer two questions - what are the environmental effects of radionuclides that may be released in the deep sea, and what are the effects of such a release upon man.

The US Subseabed Disposal Program is assessing the scientific feasibility of subseabed emplacement of high-level nuclear wastes. Studies of disposal methods and of the barriers to radionuclide migration (canister, waste form and sediment) suggest that environmental information will be needed to address the impact of accidental release of radionuclides in the deep sea. Biological, physical, and geochemical data are being collected from field and laboratory studies as well as from literature searches. These data are being analyzed using a multicompartmental radionuclide transport model and appropriate physical oceanographic models. The data integrated into this framework will help answer two questions: what are the environmental effects of radionuclides which may be released in the deep sea, and what are the effects of such a release upon man.

System reliability is essential for the economic success of any subsea oil and gas development. Testing programs can be developed to prove system reliability while still adhering to cost and schedule constraints. This paper describes a three-tiered equipment testing program that was employed for the Pompano Phase 2 subsea system. Program objectives, test descriptions, procedure development and test execution are discussed in detail. Lessons learned throughout the tests are also presented.

Development test activities on Mod I engines directed toward evaluating technologies for potential inclusion in the Mod II engine are summarized. Activities covered include: test of a 12-tube combustion gas recirculation combustor; manufacture and flow-distribution test of a two-manifold annular heater head; piston rod/piston base joint; single-solid piston rings; and a digital air/fuel concept. Also summarized are results of a formal assessment of candidate technologies for the Mod II engine, and preliminary design work for the Mod II. The overall program philosophy weight is outlined, and data and test results are presented.

Addressing the Pittsburgh public school system's need for staff evaluation, Pittsburgh's Research-Based Instructional Supervisory Model (PRISM) is an adaptation of Madeline Hunter's materials on effective teaching and Theodore Forte's synthesis of Hunter's materials in his "Workshop on Instructional Skills." While total PRISM…

Four brief articles look at aspects of curriculum based measurement (CBM) for academically handicapped students including procedures of CBM with examples, different approaches to graphing student performance, and solutions to the problem of making time to measure student progress frequently. (DB)

This handbook reports on some experiences with competency-based teacher education (CBTE) and is designed to serve as an instrument for self-examination and change. Chapter 1 presents 22 generic teaching competencies, which are a result of a reexamination of the 1973 Interim Inventory of 66 Generic Teaching Competencies (Generic 66). Chapter 2…

Research suggests that buprenorphine treatment may be a promising intervention for incarcerated individuals with heroin addiction histories. However, its implementation varies from corrections-based methadone because of unique challenges regarding dosing, administration, and regulation. Describing the first randomized clinical trial of…

The implications of lunar crust characteristics for human habitation on the moon are considered. Sources for propellants in the crust are discussed, and the rationale for including mining among base objectives is examined. Present opportunities for extracting lunar crust resources are addressed.

Purpose: Problem-based learning (PBL) challenges students to learn and work in groups to seek solutions to real world problems. Connecting academic study with community-engaged learning (CEL) experience can deeper learning and thinking. This paper highlights the integration of PBL with CEL in the Implementation Course to engage graduate students…

Presents suggestions for departments of health, physical education, and recreation that are planning to develop their own aquatics programs, focusing on: the prevalence of collegiate aquatics programs; course offerings in an aquatics minor; practicums and internships; graduate programs in aquatics; cross-disciplinary appeal; marketing the aquatics…

Sugarcane breeding is very difficult and it takes 12 to 14 years to develop a new cultivar for commercial production. This is because sugarcane varieties are highly polyploid, inter-specific hybrids with 100 to 130 chromosomes that may vary across geographical areas. Other obstacles/constraints incl...

This is a report of the role of Distance education (DE) in enhancing education and training in developing countries. As countries compete in an ever more challenging international marketplace, they recognize the need to continually train and upgrade their citizenry. As national leaders struggle to cope with increasing populations and decreasing…

Few studies have explored the learning difficulties and misconceptions that students encounter when using information and communication technology for e-learning. To address this issue, this research developed a system for evaluating the learning efficiency of medical students by applying two-tier diagnosis assessment. The effectiveness of the…

Every culture has developed some version of performance art. Children especially appreciate performance; their innate openness, forgiveness, and self-love make them delightful performers and audience members. Every time they engage with performance art, children are learning about storytelling, history, sociability, artistry, and physicality.…

Background: More than one third of college students are obese, with many lacking the knowledge and skills necessary to cook healthfully. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the PRECEDE-PROCEED model-driven primary and secondary needs assessments (PNA, SNA), which contributed to the development of the College CHEF. Methods: Staff…

Technologies for the development of the Large Deployable Reflector (LDR), a NASA project for the 1990's, for infrared and submillimeter astronomy are presented. The proposed LDR is a 10-30 diameter spaceborne observatory operating in the spectral region from 30 microns to one millimeter, where ground observations are nearly impossible. Scientific rationales for such a system include the study of ancient signals from galaxies at the edge of the universe, the study of star formation, and the observation of fluctuations in the cosmic background radiation. System requirements include the ability to observe faint objects at large distances and to map molecular clouds and H II regions. From these requirements, mass, photon noise, and tolerance budgets are developed. A strawman concept is established, and some alternate concepts are considered, but research is still necessary in the areas of segment, optical control, and instrument technologies.

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of using a suggested programbased on integrating the direct and indirect approaches on developing Strategic Competence skills of EFL secondary school students. The study adopted the experimental design. One group was an experimental group (using the suggested program) and another group worked as the…

The purpose of this program evaluation was to determine the impact of a school-based, job-embedded professional developmentprogram on elementary and middle school teacher efficacy for technology integration. Participant bi-weekly journal postings were analyzed using Grappling's "Technology and Learning Spectrum" (Porter, 2001) to…

In recent years, underserved communities have received much attention within the field of positive youth development (PYD). While there are an increasing number of opportunities for underserved youth to join PYD-basedprograms, there is growing concern surrounding the lack of critical evaluation of these programs (Kidd, 2008). Unfortunately, there…

Many community-based sport and physical activity programs take a positive youth development approach when operating in underserved communities around the world (Forneris, Whitley, & Barker, 2013). However, one of the biggest challenges for these programs is sustainability (Lindsey, 2008). The purpose of this article is to present the 3…

The Sodium Heat Engine (SHE) is an efficient thermoelectric conversion device which directly generates electricity from a thermally regenerative electrochemical cell that relies on the unique conduction properties of {beta}{double prime}-alumina solid electrolyte (BASE). Laboratory models of a variety of SHE devices have demonstrated the feasibility and efficiency of the system, engineering development of large prototype devices has been slowed by a series of materials and fabrication problems. Failure of the electrolyte tubes has been a recurring problem and a number of possible causes have been postulated. To address these issues, a two-phase engineering developmentprogram was undertaken. This report summarizes the final results of the first phase of the program, which included extensive materials characterization activities, a study of applicable nondestructive evaluation methods, an investigation of possible stress states that would contribute to fracture, and certain operational issues associated with the electromagnetic pumps used in the SHE prototype. Mechanical and microstructural evaluation of commercially obtained BASE tubes revealed that they should be adequate for SHE applications and that sodium exposure produced no appreciable deleterious strength effects. Processing activities to produce a more uniform and smaller grain size for the BASE tubes were completed using isostatic pressing, extrusion, and slip casting. Green tubes were sintered by conventional and microwave plasma methods. Of particular interest is the residual stress state in the BASE tubes, and both analysis and nondestructive evaluation methods were employed to evaluate these stresses. X-ray and neutron diffraction experiments were performed to determine the bulk residual stresses in commercially fabricated BASE tubes; however, tube-to-tube variations and variations among the various methods employed did not allow formulation of a definitive definition of the as-fabricated stress state.

This book presents a compilation of papers generated by the research unit of the Comer School DevelopmentProgram. The program operates from the basic theme that if school staff understand child development and how to organize and manage their school building as a social system, a climate that facilitates learning among the greatest number of…

The perceptual motor development module, the eleventh in a series developed for the Early Childhood-Special Education Teacher Preparation Program at the University of Virginia, provides the student with basic information on the physiological development of young children. A number of learning and measurement activities related to children's…

The enclosed report provides information on the sixth flight of the Consort suborbital rocket series. Consort 6 is currently scheduled for launch on February 19, 1993, with lift off at 11:00 a.m., Mountain Time. It will carry seven materials and biotechnology experiments, two accelerometer systems, a controller and battery packs in a module nearly 12 feet tall and weighing approximately 1,004 pounds. Consort 6 will reach an apogee of approximately 200 miles providing about 7 minutes of microgravity time. The entire mission, from launch to touchdown, is expected to last approximately 15 minutes. The Consort series is part of a unique suborbital rocket launch services program conducted by the Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology (OACT) in conjunction with its Centers for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS). This service is managed through the Consortium for Materials Development in Space (CMDS), a CCDS based University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). at the This suborbital rocket program provides CCDS investigators with a microgravity environment to achieve commercial development objectives, or to test developmental hardware or techniques in preparation for orbital flights or additional follow-on work. Rocket and launch services for Consort 6, including use of the Starfire 1 launch vehicle, are provided by EER Systems Corporation. Integration of the payload into Starfire 1 will be handled by McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Company.

A regenerable solid amine material to perform the functions of humidity control and CO2 removal for space shuttle type vehicle is reported. Both small scale and large scale testing have shown this material to be competitive, especially for the longer shuttle missions. However, it had been observed that the material off-gasses ammonia under certain conditions. This presents two concerns. The first, that the ammonia would contaminate the cabin atmosphere, and second, that the material is degrading with time. An extensive test program has shown HS-C to produce only trace quantities of atmospheric contaminants, and under normal extremes, to have no practical life limitation.

This research aimed to evaluate of online tutorial program design by applying problem-based learning Research Methods currently implemented in the system of Open Distance Learning (ODL). The students must take a Research Methods course to prepare themselves for academic writing projects. Problem-based learning basically emphasizes the process of…

Background Osteoarthritis is highly prevalent and has enormous personal and socioeconomic impact. Enabling Self-management and Coping with Arthritic Pain through Exercise (ESCAPE-pain) is an integrated rehabilitation program that helps people understand how exercise can improve physical and psychosocial well-being. Unfortunately, its availability is limited. A Web-based version of the program could increase access for more people. Many Web-based resources are developed without end-user input and result in over-complex, unwanted, ineffective products with limited uptake. Objective The objective of this study was to codesign a Web-based version of ESCAPE-pain that people with chronic joint pain find engaging, informative, and useful. Methods To establish older persons' Internet use we conducted a postal survey of 200 people. To establish their opinions, likes or dislikes, and requirements for a Web-based version of the ESCAPE-pain program, we conducted two focus groups with 11 people who had participated in a programbased on ESCAPE-pain and two with 13 people who had not. Information from the postal survey and focus groups was used to develop an online prototype website. People's opinions of the prototype website were gauged from thematic analysis of eight semistructured “think aloud” interviews. Results The survey response rate was 42% (83/200), of whom 67% (56/83) were female and mean age was 67 years. Eighty-three percent of the people had used the Internet, 69% described themselves as either very confident or confident Internet users, and 77% had looked online for health information. With regard to participating online, 34% had read a commentary or watched a video of someone else’s experience of a health problem and 23% had tracked a health issue. Key qualitative themes emerged that included engagement, acceptability and usability, and structure and content of the program. Conclusions Older people use the Internet as a source of health information but have

Research in Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS) conducted by NASA indicate that plant based systems are feasible candidates for human support in space. Ames has responsibility for research and development, systems integration and control, and space flight experiment portions of the CELSS program. Important areas for development of new methods and technologies are biomass production, waste processing, water purification, air revitalization, and food processing. For the plant system, the approach was to identify the flexibility and response time for the food, water, and oxygen production, and carbon dioxide consumption processes. Tremendous increases in productivity, compared with terrestrial agriculture, were realized. Waste processing research emphasizes recycle (transformation) of human wastes, trash, and inedible biomass to forms usable as inputs to the plant production system. Efforts to improve efficiency of the plant system, select new CELSS crops for a balanced diet, and initiate closed system research with the Crop Growth Research Chambers continue. The System Control and Integration program goal is to insure orchestrated system operation of the biological, physical, and chemical operation of the biological, physical, and chemical component processors of the CELSS. Space flight studies are planned to verify adequate operation of the system in reduced gravity or microgravity environments.

Purpose: A signature characteristic of positive youth development (PYD) programs is the opportunity to develop life skills, such as social, behavioral, and moral competencies, that can be generalized to domains beyond the immediate activity. Although context-specific instruments are available to assess developmental outcomes, a measure of…

The materials on budgeting presented here are based on training programs conducted for women's centers through the Women's Educational Equity Project of the women's center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. The booklet's purpose is to provide users with explicit information on developing and negotiating budgets for women's programs.…

The Oral Language Programdeveloped by the Southwestern Cooperative Educational Laboratory is intended to disseminate and implement strategies and materials which will improve the teaching of language skills to preschool and primary children with little or no facility in English. The first version of the program, known as Mark I, did not include…

Progress is reported in the following: the Stirling reference engine system design; components and subsystems; F-40 baseline Stirling engine installation and test; the first automotive engine to be built on the program; computer development activities; and technical assistance to the Government. The overall program philosophy is outlined, and data and results are given.

This paper discusses the applications of robotics at the Westinghouse Savannah River Site. The Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) continues to provide support to the Savannah River Site (SRS) in many areas of Robotics and Remote Vision. An overview of the current and near term future developments are presented. The driving forces for Robotics and Vision developments at SRS include the classic reasons for industrial robotics installation (i.e. repetitive and undesirable jobs) and those reasons related to radioactive environments. Protection of personnel from both radiation and radioactive contamination benefit greatly from both Robotics and Telerobotics. Additionally, the quality of information available from remote locations benefits greatly from the ability to visually monitor and remotely sense. The systems discussed include a glovebox waste handling and bagout robot, a shielded cells robot for radioactive waste sample transfer, waste handling gantry robots, a two armed master/slave manipulator as an attachment to a gantry robot, navigation robot research/testing, demonstration of the mobile underwater remote cleaning and inspection device, a camera deployment robot to support remote crane operations and for deployment of radiation sensors directly over a hazardous site, and demonstration of a large mobile robot for high radiation environments. Development of specialized and limited life vision/viewing systems for hazardous environments is also discussed.

Barber-Nichols, Pacific Gas and Electric and UNOCAL as an industry group applied for a DOE grant under the GTO to develop a new type of compressor that could be used to extract non-condensable gas (NCG) from the condensers of geothermal power plants. This grant (DE-FG07-951A13391) was awarded on September 20, 1995. The installation and startup of the turbocompressor at the PG&E Geysers Unit 11 is covered by this paper. The turbocompressor has operated several days at 17000rpm while the plant was producing 50 to 70 MW.

The study reported is a nationwide comprehensive analysis of the availability of training and the problems associated with the development of effective state programs for operators of water supply and wastewater facilities. (CS)

The Robotic All Terrain Lunar Exploration Rover (RATLER) design concept began at Sandia National Laboratories in late 1991 with a series of small, proof-of-principle, working scale models. The models proved the viability of the concept for high mobility through mechanical simplicity, and eventually received internal funding at Sandia National Laboratories for full scale, proof-of-concept prototype development. Whereas the proof-of-principle models demonstrated the mechanical design`s capabilities for mobility, the full scale proof-of-concept design currently under development is intended to support field operations for experiments in telerobotics, autonomous robotic operations, telerobotic field geology, and advanced man-machine interface concepts. The developmentprogram`s current status is described, including an outline of the program`s work over the past year, recent accomplishments, and plans for follow-on development work.

Work this summer in the Office of Safety, Environment, and Mission Assurance began with a review of current initiatives and environmental projects at the Langley Research Center (LaRC). This involved researching many of the documents on file which detail problems which have occurred as well as various approaches which have been used to address these problems. A large portion of the time was spent interviewing and working with each of the engineers, industrial hygienists and other professionals connected with the Office of Environmental Engineering. A few of the projects I worked on include: Researching environmental compliance, and pollution prevention efforts; touring many of the facilities at LaRC to observe the environmental efforts in the work place; researching equipment needs for the recycling/reclamation center; writing scripts for in-house training videos; working with the video production department to produce a training video; developing e-mail distribution list; developing environmental coordinator's database; and working with others to research logistics of recycling and waste minimization efforts.

We describe the results of a study designed to assess knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes towards evidence-based and other prevention programs among county Extension educators. We examined differences across educators from Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) and 4-H Youth Development. Analyses based on a multi-state sample of educators revealed…

The American Institutes for Research's (AID's) International DevelopmentProgram (IDP) seeks to enhance the capacity of developing countries to improve the quality of life through education and social development. Its work is based on a strong belief in the transformative power of education--that by providing children the opportunity to learn and…

Staff development is a crucial element for educational intervention. Recognizing the importance of staff development, this study aims to pin-point suitable methodologies in developing a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) academic staff developmentprogram for a higher education institute where PBL has become an intervention alternative. The study aims…

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a school-based, job-embedded professional developmentprogram on elementary and middle school teacher efficacy for technology integration. Teacher efficacy has been identified as a strong predictor of whether the content of professional development will transfer to classroom practice…

We describe six hallmarks of high quality service-learning and explain how these considerations guided the development of a Transitional Coaching Program (TCP) during the first three years of implementation. We have demonstrated that the TCP is acceptable, feasible, and sustainable. Improvements have been seen in the degree of impact on learning…

In 2000, California introduced science content standards as part of an across the curriculum reform. This presented a special challenge for elementary teachers due to an increased emphasis on math and language arts, and limited science background and resources. This two year qualitative study looks at a professional developmentprogram that resulted from collaboration between a university and an elementary school district. The program brought sixth grade elementary teachers together with scientists (geologists) and a science educator to develop a quality sixth grade science curriculum aligned to the California content standards. This multiple-case embedded study included an analysis of how these standards were addressed during the program, and the impact of this professional development on two teachers' classroom practices. The results of this study indicate that the geologists and the science educator played different but complementary roles in the professional developmentprogram. Furthermore, the professional development disproportionately focused on the Earth science standards, and this correlated to a disproportionate focus on these standards in the classrooms of the two teachers studied. Finally, the results indicate that as these two teachers implemented their new science units, they progressed through the initial stages of teacher change as outlined by change models described in the literature. However, they did not reach the final stage of change that involves complete confidence in their knowledge and being satisfied with the implementation of their science units.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of a programbased on English digital stories on second-year preparatory pupils' writing performance and reflective thinking. Two writing performance tests (pretest and posttest) as well as a reflective thinking test were prepared by the researchers. Two 2nd-year intact classes from El Sadat Prep School…

The New Agenda of the Honduran government proposes the provision of preschool and primary school education for all Honduran children, including those living in isolated areas and in extreme poverty. The Community-Based Education Program (PROHECO) was launched in February 1999, and by December 2000 some 820 schools serving 39,540 students were in…

Purpose: Problem/project-based-learning (PBL) approaches have traditionally been shown to be effective for learning within many professional programs that are directly related to the students' future career. The PBL approach has been adopted for over four decades in such fields as medicine and engineering and studies have demonstrated that…

The American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) sponsored a consensus development conference with participation from directors of graduate programs in genetic counseling, board members, and expert consultants. Using a collective, narrative, and case-based approach, 27 competencies were identified as embedded in the practice of genetic counseling. These competencies were organized into four domains of skills: Communication; Critical Thinking; Interpersonal, Counseling, and Psychosocial Assessment; and Professional Ethics and Values. The adoption of a competency framework for accreditation has a variety of implications for curriculum design and implementation. We report here the process by which a set of practice-based genetic counseling competencies have been derived; and in an accompanying article, the competencies themselves are provided. We also discuss the application of the competencies to graduate program accreditation as well as some of the implications competency-based standards may have for education and the genetic counseling profession. These guidelines may also serve as a basis for the continuing education of practicing genetic counselors and a performance evaluation tool in the workplace.

The LSST focal plane array (FPA) will consist of an order of magnitude more pixels than any imaging array realized so far. The sensors must produce low read noise, high QE at 1 micron, and a very tight PSF. This will all be necessary to do the science at the LSST. For an FPA involving about 200 large format (4k x 4k) sensors, an industrial approach has to be developed and adopted. In this initial phase of sensor development, we have targeted specific technology experiments at selected vendors, with the goal of establishing both the technical characteristics of actual sensors, based on our projected requirements, and the industrial feasibility of their production. We have chosen to fund three projects in this initial development phase, two involving CCD technology and one utilizing hybridized PIN-CMOS architecture. Initial test results from the first devices in a smaller format resulting from this study program will be presented. Design concepts for assembly of the large format sensors into larger modules (rafts) containing 3 x 3 sensors each, with their readout electronics, will also be presented.

The LSST focal plane array (FPA) will be the largest ever made. The sensors must produce low read noise, high QE in the red, and a very tight PSF. This will all be necessary to do the science at the LSST. The principle underlying the development plan is that for an FPA involving about 200 large format (4k x 4k) sensors, an industrial approach has to be developed and adopted. In this initial phase of CCD development, we have targeted specific technology challenges at competitively selected vendors, with the goal of establishing both the technical characteristics of actual sensors, based on our projected requirements, and the industrial feasibility of their production. The CCD technology challenges we have targeted in particular are over-depleted high resistivity devices in the 100 micron thickness range with a biased conductive window. Initial test results from the first devices in a smaller format resulting from this study program will be presented, demonstrating that these challenges can be overcome.

It is now widely recognized that the environment in early life can have important effects on human growth and development, including the 'programming' of far-reaching effects on the risk of developing common metabolic and other noncommunicable diseases in later life. We have shown that greater childhood adiposity is associated with higher maternal adiposity, low maternal vitamin D status, excessive gestational weight gain and short duration of breast-feeding; maternal dietary patterns in pregnancy and vitamin D status have been linked with childhood bone mineral content and muscle function. Human studies have identified fetal liver blood flow adaptations and epigenetic changes as potential mechanisms that could link maternal influences with offspring body composition. In experimental studies, there is now substantial evidence that the environment during early life induces altered phenotypes through epigenetic mechanisms. Epigenetic processes, such as DNA methylation, covalent modifications of histones and non-coding RNAs, can induce changes in gene expression without a change in DNA base sequence. Such processes are involved in cell differentiation and genomic imprinting, as well as the phenomenon of developmental plasticity in response to environmental influences. Elucidation of such epigenetic processes may enable early intervention strategies to improve early development and growth.

A data basedevelopmentprogram, funded by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is (a) studying the degradation effects in organic ion-exchange resins caused by radiation, (b) examining the adequacy of test procedures recommended in the Branch Technical Position on Waste Form to meet the requirements of 10 CFR 61 using solidified ion-exchange resins, (c) obtaining performance information on solidified ion-exchange resins in a disposal environment, and (d) determining the condition of liners used to dispose the ion-exchange resins. During the field testing experiments, both portland type 1--2 cement and Dow vinyl ester-styrene waste form samples were tested in lysimeter arrays located at Argonne National Laboratory-East (ANL-E) in Illinois and at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The study was designed to provide continuous data on nuclide release and movement, as well as environmental conditions, over an extended period. Those experiments have been shut down and are to be exhumed. This report discusses the plans for removal, sampling, and analysis of waste form and soil cores from the lysimeters. Results of partition coefficient determinations are presented, as well as application of a source term computer code using those coefficients to predict the lysimeter results. A study of radionuclide-containing colloids associated with the leachate waters removed from these lysimeters is described. An update of upward migration of radionuclides in the sand-filled lysimeter at ORNL is included.

This monograph presents the self-help skills module of the social development curriculum portion of the Early Childhood-Special Education Teacher Preparation Program. Included are: (1) an ontogeny of self-help skills (feeding, dressing, toileting, and grooming) in young children; (2) a brief discussion of the relevance of self-help skills to the…

In June 2009, the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) completed 11 years of research under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Base Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC26-98FT40320 funded through the Office of Fossil Energy (OFE) and administered at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). A wide range of diverse research activities were performed under annual program plans approved by NETL in seven major task areas: (1) resource characterization and waste management, (2) air quality assessment and control, (3) advanced power systems, (4) advanced fuel forms, (5) value-added coproducts, (6) advanced materials, and (7) strategic studies. This report summarizes results of the 67 research subtasks and an additional 50 strategic studies. Selected highlights in the executive summary illustrate the contribution of the research to the energy industry in areas not adequately addressed by the private sector alone. During the period of performance of the agreement, concerns have mounted over the impact of carbon emissions on climate change, and new programs have been initiated by DOE to ensure that fossil fuel resources along with renewable resources can continue to supply the nation's transportation fuel and electric power. The agreement has addressed DOE goals for reductions in CO{sub 2} emissions through efficiency, capture, and sequestration while expanding the supply and use of domestic energy resources for energy security. It has further contributed to goals for near-zero emissions from highly efficient coal-fired power plants; environmental control capabilities for SO{sub 2}, NO{sub x}, fine respirable particulate (PM{sub 2.5}), and mercury; alternative transportation fuels including liquid synfuels and hydrogen; and synergistic integration of fossil and renewable resources (e.g., wind-, biomass-, and coal-based electrical generation).

Reform is not new in science education, but previous efforts have not been highly successful. According to Shymansky and Kyle (1992), one reason for this is that the process of reform has not been examined. Now that we are in the midst of another large-scale reform, it is important to understand what the process is like for those who are directly involved in it, the classroom teachers. The purpose of this study is to contribute to that understanding. The participants in this phenomenologically-based qualitative study were the members of the ninth-grade physical science team at a suburban high school, all of whom were implementing Constructing Ideas in Physical Science (CIPS). CIPS, developed by several scientists and science educators, is a new middle-grades program that is based on the AAAS Benchmarks . Four in-depth interviews were done with each of the six teachers, during the second semester of the 2000--2001 school year. The purpose of the interviews was to establish each participant's history in regard to his or her teaching and learning of science, explore what it was like for them to use CEPS, and then reflect on what it meant to their teaching to have participated in this implementation. The interviews were tape recorded and transcribed. The texts were then analyzed for common themes. Six common themes emerged from the interviews. These were that the teachers found it difficult to put the various aspects of the pedagogy into practice; they were conflicted in regard to what they were being asked teach and what they believed they needed to be teaching; they were overwhelmed by everything they were being asked to do; they experienced a lack of support for their efforts; they found that the relationships within their ninth-grade team changed; and they gleaned something from the pedagogy of the program that they intended to incorporate into their teaching in the future. A discussion of how these themes relate to the existing literature is presented

The Milling Assistant (MA) programming system demonstrates the automated development of tool paths for Numerical Control (NC) machine tools. By integrating a Case-Based Reasoning decision processor with a commercial CAD/CAM software, intelligent tool path files for milled and point-to-point features can be created. The operational system is capable of reducing the time required to program a variety of parts and improving product quality by collecting and utilizing ``best of practice`` machining strategies.

The IPST BDE (Institute of Paper Science and Technology Business Development Executive) program was initiated in 1997 to make the paper industry better aware of the new manufacturing technologies being developed at IPST for the U.S. pulp and paper industry's use. In April 2000, the BDE program management and the 20 BDEs, all retired senior level industry manufacturing and research executives, were asked by Ms. Denise Swink of OIT at DOE to take the added responsibility of bringing DOE developed energy conservation technology to the paper industry. This project was funded by a DOE grant of $950,000.

NASA's Commercial Crew DevelopmentProgram is designed to stimulate efforts within the private sector that will aid in the development and demonstration of safe, reliable, and cost-effective space transportation capabilities. With the goal of delivery cargo and eventually crew to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and the International Space Station (ISS) the program is designed to foster the development of new spacecraft and launch vehicles in the commercial sector. Through Space Act Agreements (SAAs) in 2011 NASA provided $50M of funding to four partners; Blue Origin, The Boeing Company, Sierra Nevada Corporation, and SpaceX. Additional, NASA has signed two unfunded SAAs with ATK and United Space Alliance. This paper will give a brief summary of these SAAs. Additionally, a brief overview will be provided of the released version of the Commercial Crew DevelopmentProgram plans and requirements documents.

This is the ninth Semiannual Technical Progress Report prepared under the Automotive Stirling Engine DevelopmentProgram. It covers the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth quarters of activity after award of the contract. Quarterly Technical Progress Reports related program activities from the first through the thirteenth quarters; thereafter, reporting was changed to a Semiannual format. This report summarizes the study of higher-power kinematic Stirling engines for transportation use, development testing of Mod I Stirling engines, and component development activities. Component development testing included successful conical fuel nozzle testing and functional checkout of Mod II controls and auxiliaries on Mod I engine test beds. Overall program philosophy is outlined and data and test results are presented.

The NASA Procurement Career DevelopmentProgram establishes an agency-wide framework for the management of career development activity in the procurement field. Within this framework, installations are encouraged to modify the various components to meet installation-specific mission and organization requirements. This program provides a systematic process for the assessment of and planning for the development, training, and education required to increase the employees' competence in the procurement work functions. It includes the agency-wide basic knowledge and skills by career field and level upon which individual and organizational development plans are developed. Also, it provides a system that is compatible with other human resource management and development systems, processes, and activities. The compatibility and linkage are important in fostering the dual responsibility of the individual and the organization in the career development process.

The Environmental Education and DevelopmentProgram is a component on the effort to accomplish the Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management`s (EM) goal of environmental compliance and cleanup of the 1989 inventory of inactive DOE sites and facilities by the year 2019. Education and Developmentprograms were designed specifically to stimulate the knowledge and workforce capability necessary to achieve EM goals while contributing to DOE`s overall goal of increasing scientific and technical literacy and competency. The primary implementation criterion for E&D activities involved a focus on programs and projects that had both immediate and long-range leveraging effects on infrastructure. This focus included programs that yielded short term results (one to five years), as well as long-term results, to ensure a steady supply of appropriately trained and educated human resources, including women and minorities, to meet EM`s demands.

This column describes the planning and development of The Equilibrium Program (TEP) for multiply traumatized and neglected children and adolescents with mental and general medical problems in São Paulo, Brazil. The program is a partnership between university faculty, various service providers, the courts, and the city government. In the first step, child psychiatry faculty from the University of São Paulo visited central-city areas and group shelters to talk to street youths to better understand their needs. A nearby community sports center building was chosen to be a center where youths could access services and engage in recreational activities and where the work of family integration could be facilitated. A multidisciplinary team conducts an in-depth assessment and creates an intervention plan, overseen by a case manager. Challenges to implementing such programs are discussed.

The primary purposes of this project were to develop catalogs of performance objectives and performance guides based upon validated tasks performed by incumbent workers and to disseminate and diffuse catalogs through inservice activities. The five catalogs developed were based upon tasks performed in the occupations of banking clerk, diesel…

Since the inception of nurse-midwifery education 80 years ago, educators have looked for ways in which to educate enough nurse-midwives. The application of distance learning to nurse-midwifery education expanded opportunities for a greater number of students to have access to an education in nurse midwifery. The story of the Community-based Nurse-midwifery Education Program is presented as an exemplar.

The March 28, 1979 accident at Three Mile Island Unit 2 released approximately 560,000 gal of contaminated water to the auxiliary and fuel handling buildings. The water was decontaminated using a three-stage demineralization system called EPICOR-II containing organic and inorganic ion-exchange media. The first stage of the system was designated the prefilter, and the second and third stages were called demineralizers. Research is being conducted at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory on materials from four of those EPICOR-II prefilters. The Field Lysimeter Investigations: Low-Level Waste Data BaseDevelopmentProgram, funded by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is (a) studying the degradation effects in EPICOR-II organic ion-exchange resins caused by radiation, (b) examining the adequacy of test procedures recommended in the Branch Technical Position on Waste Form to meet the requirements of 10 CFR 61 using solidified EPICOR-II resins, (c) obtaining performance information on solidified EPICOR-II ion-exchange resins in a disposal environment, and (d) determining the condition of EPICOR-II liners. Results of the eighth year of data acquisition from the field testing are presented and discussed. During the continuing field testing, both Portland type I--II cement and Dow vinyl ester-styrene waste forms are being tested in lysimeter arrays located at Argonne National Laboratory-East in Illinois and at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The study is designed to provide continuous data on nuclide release and movement, as well as environment conditions, over a 20-year period. 24 references, 43 figures, 12 tables.

Full exploitation of the STS capabilities will be not only dependent on the extensive use of the STS for known space applications and research, but also on new, innovative ideas of use originating with both current and new users. In recognition of this, NASA has been engaged in a User DevelopmentProgram for the STS. The program began with four small studies. Each study addressed a separate sector of potential new users to identify techniques and methodologies for user development. The collective results established that a user development function was not only feasible, but necessary for NASA to realize the full potential of the STS. This final report begins with a description of the overall pilot program plan, which involved five specific tasks defined in the contract Statement of Work. Each task is then discussed separately; but two subjects, the development of principal investigators and space processing users, are discussed separately for improved continuity of thought. These discussions are followed by a summary of the primary results and conclusions of the Pilot User DevelopmentProgram. Specific recommendations of the study are given.

There is a need for feasible, evidence-based interventions that support HIV risk reduction among heterosexual Black men. In this article, we describe the process for development of the Barbershop Talk With Brothers (BTWB) program and evaluation. The BTWB program is a theoretically grounded and community-based HIV prevention program that seeks to improve individual skills and motivation to decrease sexual risk, and that builds men’s interest in and capacity for improving their community’s health. Formative data collection included barbershop observations and barber focus groups, brief behavioral risk assessments of men in barbershops, and focus groups and individual interviews. Based on this information and in consultation with our steering committee, we developed the BTWB program and accompanying program evaluation. From April through November 2011, 80 men were recruited and completed a baseline assessment of a pilot test of the program; 78 men completed the program and 71 completed a 3-month assessment. The pilot evaluation procedures were feasible to implement, and assessments of pre- and post-test measures indicate that key behavioral outcomes and proposed mediators of those outcomes changed in hypothesized directions. Specifically, attitudes and self-efficacy toward consistent condom use improved, and respondents reported lower levels of sexual risk behavior from baseline to follow-up (all p < 0.05). Perceptions of community empowerment also increased (p = 0.06). While HIV stigma decreased, this difference did not reach statistical significance. Our approach to community-engaged programdevelopment resulted in an acceptable, feasible approach to reaching and educating heterosexual Black men about HIV prevention in community settings. PMID:25299804

A study was done to investigate the status and attitudes of graduates from field-basedprograms of the John H. Lounsbury School of Education of Georgia College and State University who were teaching in partner and professional development schools. The study was done in two waves, first by e-mail, and then by postal service. There were 41…

Designed to provide pre- and inservice vocational education administrators with the skills necessary to establish and/or facilitate implementation of a staff developmentprogram, this competency-based learning module consists of an introduction and three sequential learning experiences. Each learning experience contains an overview, required and…

This report includes a description of a project to develop and field-test competency-based instructional materials for handicapped students enrolled in regular vocational agriculture programs; a list of project advisory personnel; the clusters of skills identified as appropriate for handicapped students enrolled in courses in dairy production,…

This study aimed to detect the effect based on the strategies of the six hats in the development of the pivotal thinking on the achievement of the Al-Hussein University students Islamic concepts of the program has reached the study sample (216) students, were divided randomly into two groups: an experimental group of (108) students and consisted…

From February 2008 through April 2011, School Health Connection, a program of the Louisiana Public Health Institute, developed an electronic health information management system for newly established school-based health centers in Greater New Orleans. School Health Connection was established as part of a broader effort to restore community health…

Solar dynamic power generation has been selected by NASA to provide power for the space station. Solar dynamic concentrator technology has been demonstrated for terrestrial applications but has not been developed for space applications. The object of the Solar Concentrator Advanced Developmentprogram is to develop the technology of solar concentrators which would be used on the space station. The first task of this program was to develop conceptual concentrator designs and perform trade-off studies and to develop a materials data base and perform material selection. Three unique concentrator concepts; Truss Hex, Spline Radial Panel and Domed Fresnel, were developed and evaluated against weighted trade criteria. The Truss Hex concept was recommended for the space station. Materials data basedevelopment demonstrated that several material systems are capable of withstanding extended periods of atomic oxygen exposure without undesirable performance degradation. Descriptions of the conceptual designs and materials test data are included.

The Robotic All Terrain Lunar Exploration Rover (RATLER) design concept began at Sandia National Laboratories in late 1991 with a series of small, proof-of-principle, working scale models. The models proved the viability of the concept for high mobility through mechanical simplicity, and eventually received internal funding at Sandia National Laboratories for full scale, proof-of-concept prototype development. Whereas the proof-of-principle models demonstrated the mechanical design's capabilities for mobility, the full scale proof-of-concept design currently under development is intended to support field operations for experiments in telerobotics, autonomous robotic operations, telerobotic field geology, and advanced man-machine interface concepts. The developmentprogram's current status is described, including an outline of the program's work over the past year, recent accomplishments, and plans for follow-on development work.

Program status and plans are discussed for component and technology development; reference engine system design, the upgraded Mod 1 engine; industry test and evaluation; and product assurance. Four current Mod 1 engines reached a total of 2523 operational hours, while two upgraded engines accumulated 166 hours.

This booklet presents educational programs and activities focusing on motor skills for 5- to 9-year-old children and older children with learning problems. The premise of the activities is that the acquisition of motor skills is essential to basic learning. The role of language as a mediator and controller of motor development is emphasized. The…

Child development can be fostered through relationships between older adults and children. Children's social isolation resulting from demographic, economic, and social changes can be addressed by means of intergenerational programs. During four developmental stages from infancy to adolescence, older adults can play a significant role in…

For humans to survive during long-term missions on the Martian surface, bioregenerative life support systems including food production will decrease requirements for launch of Earth supplies, and increase mission safety. It is proposed that the development of "modular biospheres"--closed system units that can be air-locked together and which contain soil-based bioregenerative agriculture, horticulture, with a wetland wastewater treatment system is an approach for Mars habitation scenarios. Based on previous work done in long-term life support at Biosphere 2 and other closed ecological systems, this consortium proposes a research and developmentprogram called Mars On Earth(TM) which will simulate a life support system designed for a four person crew. The structure will consist of 6 x 110 square meter modular agricultural units designed to produce a nutritionally adequate diet for 4 people, recycling all air, water and waste, while utilizing a soil created by the organic enrichment and modification of Mars simulant soils. Further research needs are discussed, such as determining optimal light levels for growth of the necessary range of crops, energy trade-offs for agriculture (e.g. light intensity vs. required area), capabilities of Martian soils and their need for enrichment and elimination of oxides, strategies for use of human waste products, and maintaining atmospheric balance between people, plants and soils.

For humans to survive during long-term missions on the Martian surface, bioregenerative life support systems including food production will decrease requirements for launch of Earth supplies, and increase mission safety. It is proposed that the development of ``modular biospheres''- closed system units that can be air-locked together and which contain soil-based bioregenerative agriculture, horticulture, with a wetland wastewater treatment system is an approach for Mars habitation scenarios. Based on previous work done in long-term life support at Biosphere 2 and other closed ecological systems, this consortium proposes a research and developmentprogram called Mars On Earth™ which will simulate a life support system designed for a four person crew. The structure will consist of /6 × 110 square meter modular agricultural units designed to produce a nutritionally adequate diet for 4 people, recycling all air, water and waste, while utilizing a soil created by the organic enrichment and modification of Mars simulant soils. Further research needs are discussed, such as determining optimal light levels for growth of the necessary range of crops, energy trade-offs for agriculture (e.g. light intensity vs. required area), capabilities of Martian soils and their need for enrichment and elimination of oxides, strategies for use of human waste products, and maintaining atmospheric balance between people, plants and soils.

Latino adults between ages 50 and 60 yr are at high risk for developing chronic conditions that can lead to early disability. We conducted a qualitative pilot study with 11 Latinos in this demographic group to develop a foundational schema for the design of health promotion programs that could be implemented by occupational therapy practitioners in primary care settings for this population. One-on-one interviews addressing routines and activities, health management, and health care utilization were conducted, audiotaped, and transcribed. Results of a content analysis of the qualitative data revealed the following six domains of most concern: Weight Management; Disease Management; Mental Health and Well-Being; Personal Finances; Family, Friends, and Community; and Stress Management. A typology of perceived health-actualizing strategies was derived for each domain. This schema can be used by occupational therapy practitioners to inform the development of health-promotion lifestyle interventions designed specifically for late-middle-aged Latinos. PMID:26565102

This study investigates the extent to which teachers' beliefs and classroom practices concerning inquiry-based instruction change following participation in a large mid-Atlantic university's year-long Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) - Professional Learning Community (PLC) professional developmentprogram. Mixed methods were used to explore this study's research questions. Supported with NASA funding, twelve secondary science teachers participated in the study. Study findings suggest that RET programs that incorporate a PLC component can help to shift teachers' beliefs and classroom practices concerning inquiry-based instruction, and help them to increase the level of inquiry in their science lessons. An implication of this research is that teacher professional development models need to be developed to help teachers effectively plan more time for students to conduct inquiry-based activities, to communicate findings based on evidence, and to develop questions to investigate themselves. Moreover, the findings of this study can help to inform science teacher education and professional developmentprograms in creating more fruitful experiences for these professionals, and help them to align their beliefs and practice more toward the constructivist visions of current reform efforts.

Purpose . To develop a theory-based questionnaire to assess readiness for change in small workplaces adopting wellness programs. Design . In developing our scale, we first tested items via "think-aloud" interviews. We tested the revised items in a cross-sectional quantitative telephone survey. Setting . The study setting comprised small workplaces (20-250 employees) in low-wage industries. Subjects . Decision-makers representing small workplaces in King County, Washington (think-aloud interviews, n = 9), and the United States (telephone survey, n = 201) served as study subjects. Measures . We generated items for each construct in Weiner's theory of organizational readiness for change. We also measured workplace characteristics and current implementation of workplace wellness programs. Analysis . We assessed reliability by coefficient alpha for each of the readiness questionnaire subscales. We tested the association of all subscales with employers' current implementation of wellness policies, programs, and communications, and conducted a path analysis to test the associations in the theory of organizational readiness to change. Results . Each of the readiness subscales exhibited acceptable internal reliability (coefficient alpha range, .75-.88) and was positively associated with wellness program implementation (p < .05). The path analysis was consistent with the theory of organizational readiness to change, except change efficacy did not predict change-related effort. Conclusion . We developed a new questionnaire to assess small workplaces' readiness to adopt and implement evidence-based wellness programs. Our findings also provide empirical validation of Weiner's theory of readiness for change.

Purpose To develop a theory-based questionnaire to assess readiness for change in small workplaces adopting wellness programs. Design In developing our scale, we first tested items via “think-aloud” interviews. We tested the revised items in a cross-sectional quantitative telephone survey. Setting Small workplaces (20–250 employees) in low-wage industries. Subjects Decision-makers representing small workplaces in King County, Washington (think-aloud interviews, n=9) and the United States (telephone survey, n=201). Measures We generated items for each construct in Weiner’s theory of organizational readiness for change. We also measured workplace characteristics and current implementation of workplace wellness programs. Analysis We assessed reliability by coefficient alpha for each of the readiness questionnaire subscales. We tested the association of all subscales with employers’ current implementation of wellness policies, programs, and communications, and conducted a path analysis to test the associations in the theory of organizational readiness to change. Results Each of the readiness subscales exhibited acceptable internal reliability (coefficient alpha range = .75–.88) and was positively associated with wellness program implementation (p developed a new questionnaire to assess small workplaces’ readiness to adopt and implement evidence-based wellness programs. Our findings also provide empirical validation of Weiner’s theory of readiness for change. PMID:26389975

The primary objective of the Advanced Emissions Control DevelopmentProgram (AECDP) is to develop practical, cost-effective strategies for reducing the emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs, or air toxics) from coal-fired boilers. This objective is being met by identifying ways to effectively control air toxic emissions through the use of conventional flue gas cleanup equipment such as electrostatic precipitators (ESPs), fabric filters (fabric filters), and wet flue gas desulfurization (wet FGD) systems. Development work initially concentrated on the capture of trace metals, hydrogen chloride, and hydrogen fluoride. Recent work has focused almost exclusively on the control of mercury emissions.

The primary objective of the Advanced Emissions Control DevelopmentProgram (AECDP) is to develop practical, cost-effective strategies for reducing the emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs, or air toxics) from coal-fired boilers. The project goal is to effectively control air toxic emissions through the use of conventional flue gas cleanup equipment such as electrostatic precipitators (ESPs), fabric filters (baghouses), and wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) systems. Development work initially concentrated on the capture of trace metals, fine particulate, hydrogen chloride, and hydrogen fluoride. Recent work has focused almost exclusively on the control of mercury emissions.

Repository-Based Software Engineering Program (RBSE) is a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) sponsored program dedicated to introducing and supporting common, effective approaches to software engineering practices. The process of conceiving, designing, building, and maintaining software systems by using existing software assets that are stored in a specialized operational reuse library or repository, accessible to system designers, is the foundation of the program. In addition to operating a software repository, RBSE promotes (1) software engineering technology transfer, (2) academic and instructional support of reuse programs, (3) the use of common software engineering standards and practices, (4) software reuse technology research, and (5) interoperability between reuse libraries. This Program Management Plan (PMP) is intended to communicate program goals and objectives, describe major work areas, and define a management report and control process. This process will assist the Program Manager, University of Houston at Clear Lake (UHCL) in tracking work progress and describing major program activities to NASA management. The goal of this PMP is to make managing the RBSE program a relatively easy process that improves the work of all team members. The PMP describes work areas addressed and work efforts being accomplished by the program; however, it is not intended as a complete description of the program. Its focus is on providing management tools and management processes for monitoring, evaluating, and administering the program; and it includes schedules for charting milestones and deliveries of program products. The PMP was developed by soliciting and obtaining guidance from appropriate program participants, analyzing program management guidance, and reviewing related program management documents.

This paper describes how we developed a practical training program for technicians and sales personnel from the BNL studies that evolved into the Lined Chimney Venting Tables. One of the topics discussed is our search for solutions to the reoccurring problems associated with flue gas condensation on newly installed oil fired appliances. The paper will also discuss our own experiences in applying the new venting tables and working through the questions that arise when we encounter installations beyond the scope of the present tables.

Background A significant number of chronic pain patients experience a decline in therapeutic effects after rehabilitation. As face-to-face contacts with health care professionals are not always feasible after treatment, new, innovative, fully automated relapse-prevention programs are highly needed. Objective In this study an online, automated relapse-prevention programbased on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)—both as a website and as a mobile app—was developed and evaluated. At each step of the development, end users (ie, chronic pain patients) were consulted in order to fully address their needs. Methods In a step-by-step process, a contextual inquiry, requirement specification, and design were executed with chronic pain patients by conducting, respectively, a focus group (n=10), interviews with rapid prototyping (n=28), and a user- and expert-based usability evaluation (n=14). Furthermore, a pilot evaluation was conducted with 14 chronic pain or fatigue patients who had received the online relapse-prevention program following a multidisciplinary ACT treatment. They were interviewed about their usage and the usefulness of the program in supporting them to maintain changed behaviors and prevent relapses in avoidance and pain control behaviors. Results The three stages provided information about the expected needs of end users, comments about the usefulness of the proposed features, and feedback about the design and usability of the program. This resulted in a fully operational, online relapse-prevention program. Results from the pilot evaluation showed that 9 patients used the online program after treatment, 5 of whom indicated that the program supported them after treatment. Of all the patients, 4 of them indicated that the program did not support them because they wanted more social interaction with other users. Conclusions This study showed that an innovative, automated, online program that is user friendly can be developed by involving the end users

This paper presents the first in a series of studies on the informal advice networks of a community of teachers in an in-service professional developmentprogram. The aim of the research was to use Social Network Analysis as a methodological tool to reveal the social networks developed by the teachers, and to examine whether these networks…

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are important environmental and maturational signals during intrauterine development. Toward term, the maturational rise in fetal glucocorticoid receptor concentrations decreases fetal growth and induces differentiation of key tissues essential for neonatal survival. When cortisol levels rise earlier in gestation as a result of suboptimal conditions for fetal growth, the switch from tissue accretion to differentiation is initiated prematurely, which alters the phenotype that develops from the genotype inherited at conception. Although this improves the chances of survival should delivery occur, it also has functional consequences for the offspring long after birth. Glucocorticoids are, therefore, also programming signals that permanently alter tissue structure and function during intrauterine development to optimize offspring fitness. However, if the postnatal environmental conditions differ from those signaled in utero, the phenotypical outcome of early-life glucocorticoid receptor overexposure may become maladaptive and lead to physiological dysfunction in the adult. This review focuses on the role of GCs in developmental programming, primarily in farm species. It examines the factors influencing GC bioavailability in utero and the effects that GCs have on the development of fetal tissues and organ systems, both at term and earlier in gestation. It also discusses the windows of susceptibility to GC overexposure in early life together with the molecular mechanisms and long-term consequences of GC programming with particular emphasis on the cardiovascular, metabolic, and endocrine phenotype of the offspring.

The aim of this study was to develop a simulation-based time-out learning program targeted to nurses participating in high-risk invasive procedures and to figure out the effects of application of the new program on acceptance of nurses. This study was performed using a simulation-based learning predesign and postdesign to figure out the effects of implementation of this program. It was targeted to 48 registered nurses working in the general ward and the emergency department in a tertiary teaching hospital. Difference between acceptance and performance rates has been figured out by using mean, standard deviation, and Wilcoxon-signed rank test. The perception survey and score sheet have been validated through content validation index, and the reliability of evaluator has been verified by using intraclass correlation coefficient. Results showed high level of acceptance of high-risk invasive procedure (Pbased learning. The face validity of the program showed over 4.0 out of 5.0. This simulation-based learning program was effective in improving the recognition of time-out protocol and has given the participants the opportunity to become proactive in cases of high-risk invasive procedures performed outside of operating room.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the current leading causes of disability worldwide. Adolescence is a vulnerable period for the onset of depression, with MDD affecting 8-20% of all youth. Traditional treatment methods have not been sufficiently effective to slow the increasing prevalence of adolescent depression. We therefore propose a new model for the treatment of adolescent depression - Training for Awareness, Resilience, and Action (TARA) - that is based on current understanding of developmental and depression neurobiology. The TARA model is aligned with the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) of the National Institute of Mental Health. In this article, we first address the relevance of RDoC to adolescent depression. Second, we identify the major RDoC domains of function involved in adolescent depression and organize them in a way that gives priority to domains thought to be driving the psychopathology. Third, we select therapeutic training strategies for TARA based on current scientific evidence of efficacy for the prioritized domains of function in a manner that maximizes time, resources, and feasibility. The TARA model takes into consideration the developmental limitation in top-down cognitive control in adolescence and promotes bottom-up strategies such as vagal afference to decrease limbic hyperactivation and its secondary effects. The program has been informed by mindfulness-based therapy and yoga, as well as modern psychotherapeutic techniques. The treatment program is semi-manualized, progressive, and applied in a module-based approach designed for a group setting that is to be conducted one session per week for 12 weeks. We hope that this work may form the basis for a novel and more effective treatment strategy for adolescent depression, as well as broaden the discussion on how to address this challenge.

A collaborative program was initiated in 1990 between the natural product chemistry laboratory of Dr. Phillip Crews at the University of California Santa Cruz and the experimental therapeutics laboratory of Dr. Fred Valeriote at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. The program focused on the discovery and development of anticancer drugs from sponge extracts. A novel in vitro disk diffusion, solid tumor selective assay was used to examine 2,036 extracts from 683 individual sponges. The bioassay-directed fractionation discovery component led to the identification of active pure compounds from many of these sponges. In most cases, pure compound was prepared in sufficient quantities to both chemically identify the active compound(s) as well as pursue one or more of the biological development components. The latter included IC50, clonogenic survival-concentration exposure, maximum tolerated dose, pharmacokinetics and therapeutic assessment studies. Solid tumor selective compounds included fascaplysin and 10-bromofascaplysin (Fascaplysinopsis), neoamphimedine, 5-methoxyneoamphimedine and alpkinidine (Xestospongia), makaluvamine C and makaluvamine H (Zyzzya), psymberin (Psammocinia and Ircinia), and ethylplakortide Z and ethyldidehydroplakortide Z (Plakortis). These compounds or analogs thereof continue to have therapeutic potential.

The use of portfolios in postgraduate medical residency education to support competency development is increasing; however, the processes by which these assessment systems are designed, implemented, and maintained are emergent. The authors describe the needs assessment, development, implementation, and continuing quality improvement processes that have shaped the Portfolio Assessment Support System (PASS) used by the postgraduate family medicine program at Queen's University since 2009. Their description includes the impetus for change and contextual realities that guided the effort, plus the processes used for selecting assessment components and developing strategic supports. The authors discuss the identification of impact measures at the individual, programmatic, and institutional levels and the ways the department uses these to monitor how PASS supports competency development, scaffolds residents' self-regulated learning skills, and promotes professional identity formation. They describe the "academic advisor" role and provide an appendix covering the portfolio elements. Reflection elements include learning plans, clinical question logs, confidence surveys, and reflections about continuity of care and significant incidents. Learning module elements cover the required, online bioethics, global health, and consult-request modules. Assessment elements cover each resident's research project, clinical audits, presentations, objective structured clinical exam and simulated office oral exam results, field notes, entrustable professional activities, multisource feedback, and in-training evaluation reports. Document elements are the resident's continuing medical education activities including procedures log, attendance log, and patient demographic summaries.The authors wish to support others who are engaged in the systematic portfolio-design process or who may adapt aspects of PASS for their local programs.

The objective of the Advanced Emissions Control DevelopmentProgram (AECDP) is to develop practical, cost-effective strategies for reducing the emissions of air toxics from coal-fired boilers. Ideally, the project aim is to effectively control air toxic emissions through the use of conventional flue gas cleanup equipment such as electrostatic precipitators (ESPS), fabric filters (baghouse), and wet flue gas desulfurization. Development work to date has concentrated on the capture of mercury, other trace metals, fine particulate and hydrogen chloride. Following the construction and evaluation of a representative air toxics test facility in Phase I, Phase II focused on the evaluation of mercury and several other air toxics emissions. The AECDP is jointly funded by the United States Department of Energy's Federal Energy Technology Center (DOE), the Ohio Coal Development Office within the Ohio Department of Development (oCDO), and Babcock& Wilcox-a McDermott company (B&W).

A meta-program theory is proposed to overcome the limitations and improve the use of program theory as an approach to faith-basedprogram evaluation. The essentials for understanding religious organizations, their various programs, and faith and spirituality are discussed to support a rationale for developing a faith-basedprogram theory that…

This is a report on off-campus, community-based urban teacher education programs in three of the Metropolitan areas in Michigan: Detroit, Pontiac, and Flint. The described purpose of the program is to provide a new teacher with experience for working with urban youth in a changing society, to develop leaders who possess a "feel" for the…

Saint Francis University has developed curriculum in engineering and in business that is meeting the needs of students and employers (Task 1) as well as integrating wind energy throughout the curriculum. Through a variety of approaches, the University engaged in public outreach and education that reached over 2,000 people annually (Task 2). We have demonstrated, through the success of these programs, that students are eager to prepare for emerging jobs in alternative energy, that employers are willing to assist in developing employees who understand the broader business and policy context of the industry, and that people want to learn about wind energy.

A competency-based automotive mechanics curriculum was developed at Big Bend Community College (Washington) in order to provide the basis for an advanced placement procedure for high school graduates and experienced adults through a competency assessment. In order to create the curriculum, Big Bend Community College automotive mechanics…

The purpose of this study was to develop a Web-based nutritional management program for the prevention of metabolic syndrome and to evaluate how the program affects health-related behaviors and the health status of office workers with metabolic syndrome risk factors. For the pilot test of the Web-based nutritional management program, 29 employees (19 males, 10 females) with more than one metabolic syndrome risk factor participated in the Web-based nutritional management program for 16 weeks. Participants visited the Web site more than two times per week and completed customized assessments of health status, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, dietary habits, food intake, ideal body weight, energy requirements, and exercise. Subjects had a significant decrease in body weight, waist circumference, body mass index (P < .01 in males, P < .05 in females), and body fat (P < .01 in males). The frequency of dietary habits such as eating snacks, eating out, and dining with others decreased, whereas the frequency of intake of foods such as whole grains, seaweed, fruit, and low-fat milk increased after intervention. After 16 weeks, program satisfaction was evaluated using a Web evaluation questionnaire, and most of the participants were highly satisfied with Web site components such as the loading speed, configuration, privacy, design, functionality, and contents.

This Civilian Reactor DevelopmentProgram document has the prime purpose of summarizing the technical programs supported by the FY 1983 budget request. This section provides a statement of the overall program objectives and a general program overview. Section II presents the technical programs in a format intended to show logical technical interrelationships, and does not necessarily follow the structure of the formal budget presentation. Section III presents the technical organization and management structure of the program.

Background The negative impact of musculoskeletal diseases on the physical function and quality of life of people living in developing countries is considerable. This disabling effect is even more marked in low-socioeconomic communities within developing countries. In Mexico, there is a need to create community-based rehabilitation programs for people living with musculoskeletal diseases in low-socioeconomic areas. These programs should be directed to prevent and decrease disability, accommodating the specific local culture of communities. Objective The objective of this paper is to describe a research protocol designed to develop, implement, and evaluate culturally sensitive community-based rehabilitation programs aiming to decrease disability of people living with musculoskeletal diseases in two low-income Mexican communities. Methods A community-based participatory research approach is proposed, including multi and transdisciplinary efforts among the community, medical anthropology, and the health sciences. The project is structured in 4 main stages: (1) situation analysis, (2) programdevelopment, (3) program implementation, and (4) program evaluation. Each stage includes the use of quantitative and qualitative methods (mixed method program). Results So far, we obtained resources from a Mexican federal agency and completed stage one of the project at Chankom, Yucatán. We are currently receiving funding from an international agency to complete stage two at this same location. We expect that the project at Chankom will be concluded by December of 2017. On the other hand, we just started the execution of stage one at Nuevo León with funding from a Mexican federal agency. We expect to conclude the project at this site by September of 2018. Conclusions Using a community-based participatory research approach and a mixed method program could result in the creation of culturally sensitive community-based rehabilitation programs that promote community development and

Violence impacts the lives of children on a daily basis. In their communities, they witness drive-by shootings, drug deals, and violence in their schools while many endure abuse, neglect, and violent behavior in their homes. Because the traumatizing impact of such exposure disrupts a child's ability to concentrate and learn, the Dallas Independent School District (ISD) sought content expertise to develop a training vehicle for school district professionals. The program aimed to raise the awareness of educators to problems related to domestic violence and the myriad of circumstances at home and in the community that lead to exposure to violence. Approximately 15,000 faculty and staff of Dallas ISD were educated in the identification, intervention, and prevention of exposure to violence. Referrals and inquiries related to abuse have increased (approximately 70%) while the city of Dallas has witnessed a drop in the number of domestic violence and child abuse offenses.

There is considerable research that suggests that school-based social-emotional programs can foster improved mental health and reduce problem behaviors for participating youth; in contrast, much less is known about the impact of these programs on physical health, even though some of these programs also include at least limited direct attention to promoting physical health behaviors. We examined the effects of one such program, Positive Action (PA), on physical health behaviors and body mass index (BMI), and tested for mediation of program effects through a measure of social-emotional and character development (SECD). Participating schools in the matched-pair, cluster-randomized trial were 14 low-performing K-8 Chicago Public Schools. We followed a cohort of students in each school from grades 3 to 8 (eight waves of data collection; 1,170 total students). Student self-reports of health behaviors served as the basis for measures of healthy eating and exercise, unhealthy eating, personal hygiene, consistent bedtime, and SECD. We collected height and weight measurements at endpoint to calculate age- and gender-adjusted BMI z-scores. Longitudinal multilevel modeling analyses revealed evidence of favorable program effects on personal hygiene (effect size [ES] = 0.48), healthy eating and exercise (ES = 0.21), and unhealthy eating (ES = −0.19); in addition, BMI z-scores were lower among students in PA schools at endpoint (ES = −0.21). Program effects were not moderated by either gender or student mobility. Longitudinal structural equation modeling demonstrated mediation through SECD for healthy eating and exercise, unhealthy eating, and personal hygiene. Findings suggest that a social-emotional and character developmentprogram without a primary focus on health behavior promotion can have a modest impact on outcomes in this domain during the childhood to adolescence transition. PMID:26781590

It is the objective of the Fund to encourage innovative research to maintain the Laboratory's position at the forefront of science. Funds are used to explore new ideas and concepts that may potentially develop into new directions of research for the Laboratory and that are consistent with the major needs, overall goals, and mission of the Laboratory and the DOE. The types of projects eligible for support from PDF include: work in forefront areas of science and technology for the primary purpose of enriching Laboratory research and development capabilities; advanced study of new hypotheses, new experimental concepts, or innovative approaches to energy problems; experiments directed toward ''proof of principle'' or early determination of the utility of a new concept; and conception, design analyses, and development of experimental devices, instruments, or components. This report is a review of these research programs.

HIV education programs are needed to address risk-taking behavior for adolescents. The purpose of our study was to use the World Health Organization's Rapid Assessment and Response (RAR) method to design a community-based, cultural- and age-appropriate HIV prevention program for adolescents in Bangkok, Thailand. Adolescent single-gender-specific focus groups (n = 3; 28 participants) were used to gather reactions/ideas about program topics/approaches. An adult, mixed-gender group was held to review information identified by adolescents. Sessions were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Themes regarding HIV content and the process of implementation emerged from a qualitative content analysis of the data. Community representatives recommended incorporation of HIV information and risk-prevention skills. Information delivery suggestions included small group discussions, interactive games/role-playing, program materials/terminology, and HIV-infected program facilitators. Community members provided critical input toward an HIV prevention program tailored to meet adolescents' unique needs/interests. The RAR model provides opportunities to engage communities in developing health-related interventions.

The Department of Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota and the Science Museum of Minnesota have developed and implemented a successful program for middle school (grades 5-8) science teachers and their students, called Brain Science on the Move. The overall goals have been to bring neuroscience education to underserved schools, excite students about science, improve their understanding of neuroscience, and foster partnerships between scientists and educators. The program includes BrainU, a teacher professional development institute; Explain Your Brain Assembly and Exhibit Stations, multimedia large-group presentation and hands-on activities designed to stimulate student thinking about the brain; Class Activities, in-depth inquiry-based investigations; and Brain Trunks, materials and resources related to class activities. Formal evaluation of the program indicated that teacher neuroscience knowledge, self-confidence, and use of inquiry-based strategies and neuroscience in their classrooms have increased. Participating teachers increased the time spent teaching neuroscience and devoted more time to "inquiry-based" teaching versus "lecture-based teaching." Teachers appreciated in-depth discussions of pedagogy and science and opportunities for collegial interactions with world-class researchers. Student interest in the brain and in science increased. Since attending BrainU, participating teachers have reported increased enthusiasm about teaching and have become local neuroscience experts within their school communities.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) have recently established a collaborative effort to support the development of polymer-based, lithium-based cell chemistries and battery technologies to address the next generation of aerospace applications and mission needs. The overall objective of this developmentprogram, which is referred to as PERS, Polymer Energy Rechargeable System, is to establish a world-class technology capability and U.S. leadership in polymer-based battery technology for aerospace applications. Programmatically, the PERS initiative will exploit both interagency collaborations to address common technology and engineering issues and the active participation of academia and private industry. The initial program phases will focus on R&D activities to address the critical technical issues and challenges at the cell level.

There is considerable research that suggests that school-based social-emotional programs can foster improved mental health and reduce problem behaviors for participating youth; in contrast, much less is known about the impact of these programs on physical health, even though some of these programs also include at least limited direct attention to promoting physical health behaviors. We examined the effects of one such program, Positive Action (PA), on physical health behaviors and body mass index (BMI), and tested for mediation of program effects through a measure of social-emotional and character development (SECD). Participating schools in the matched-pair, cluster-randomized trial were 14 low-performing K-8 Chicago Public Schools. We followed a cohort of students in each school from grades 3 to 8 (eight waves of data collection; 1170 total students). Student self-reports of health behaviors served as the basis for measures of healthy eating and exercise, unhealthy eating, personal hygiene, consistent bedtime, and SECD. We collected height and weight measurements at endpoint to calculate age- and gender-adjusted BMI z-scores. Longitudinal multilevel modeling analyses revealed evidence of favorable program effects on personal hygiene [effect size (ES) = 0.48], healthy eating and exercise (ES = 0.21), and unhealthy eating (ES = -0.19); in addition, BMI z-scores were lower among students in PA schools at endpoint (ES = -0.21). Program effects were not moderated by either gender or student mobility. Longitudinal structural equation modeling demonstrated mediation through SECD for healthy eating and exercise, unhealthy eating, and personal hygiene. Findings suggest that a SECD program without a primary focus on health behavior promotion can have a modest impact on outcomes in this domain during the childhood to adolescence transition.

The development and dissemination of culturally relevant health care information has traditionally taken a "top-down" approach. Governmental funding agencies and research institutions have too often dictated the importance and focus of health-related research and information dissemination. In addition, the digital divide has affected rural communities in such a way that their members often do not possess the knowledge or experience necessary to use technological resources. And, even when they do, their skills may be limited, adequate only for implementing applications and programs designed by others who live and work outside of these communities. This need became the driving force in the creation of the Native Telehealth Outreach and Technical Assistance Program. The goal of the program is to equip Native community members, at both the lay and professional levels, with the means to use technology to address tribal health care needs. The transfer of relevant technical knowledge and skills enables participants to develop projects which enhance the community-wide dissemination of health care information. Nine community health advocates and professionals participated in the initial cohort. Eight of the participants successfully developed multimedia-based projects including Web sites, interactive CD-ROMs, and video focusing on a variety of health concerns. At the conclusion of the 18-month program period, projects were disseminated throughout rural communities. The NTOTAP staff continues to evaluate the use of these projects and their benefits within the rural communities.

Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) is conducting a five-year project aimed at the development of practical, cost-effective strategies for reducing the emissions of hazardous air pollutants (commonly called air toxics) from coal-fired electric utility plants. The need for air toxic emissions controls may arise as the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency proceeds with implementation of Title III of the Clean Air Act Amendment (CAAA) of 1990. Data generated during the program will provide utilities with the technical and economic information necessary to reliably evaluate various air toxics emissions compliance options such as fuel switching, coal cleaning, and flue gas treatment. The development work is being carried out using B&W's new Clean Environment Development Facility (CEDF) wherein air toxics emissions control strategies can be developed under controlled conditions, and with proven predictability to commercial systems. Tests conducted in the CEDF provide high quality, repeatable, comparable data over a wide range of coal properties, operating conditions, and emissions control systems. Development work to date has concentrated on the capture of mercury, other trace metals, fine particulate, and the inorganic species hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride.

Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) is conducting a five-year project aimed at the development of practical, cost-effective strategies for reducing the emissions of hazardous air pollutants (commonly called air toxics) from coal-fired electric utility plants. The need for air toxic emissions controls may arise as the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency proceeds with implementation of Title III of the Clean Air Act Amendment (CAAA) of 1990. Data generated during the program will provide utilities with the technical and economic information necessary to reliably evaluate various air toxics emissions compliance options such as fuel switching, coal cleaning, and flue gas treatment. The development work is being carried out using B&W`s new Clean Environment Development Facility (CEDF) wherein air toxics emissions control strategies can be developed under controlled conditions, and with proven predictability to commercial systems. Tests conducted in the CEDF provide high quality, repeatable, comparable data over a wide range of coal properties, operating conditions, and emissions control systems. Development work to date has concentrated on the capture of mercury, other trace metals, fine particulate, and the inorganic species hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride.

McDermott Technology, Inc. (MTI) is conducting a five-year project aimed at the development of practical, cost-effective strategies for reducing the emissions of hazardous air pollutants (commonly called air toxics) from coal-fired electric utility plants. The need for air toxic emissions controls may arise as the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency proceeds with implementation of Title III of the Clean Air Act Amendment (CAAA) of 1990. Data generated during the program will provide utilities with the technical and economic information necessary to reliably evaluate various air toxics emissions compliance options such as fuel switching, coal cleaning, and flue gas treatment. The development work is being carried out using the Clean Environment Development Facility (CEDF) wherein air toxics emissions control strategies can be developed under controlled conditions, and with proven predictability to commercial systems. Tests conducted in the CEDF provide high quality, repeatable, comparable data over a wide range of coal properties, operating conditions, and emissions control systems. Development work to date has concentrated on the capture of mercury, other trace metals, fine particulate, and hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride.

McDermott Technology, Inc. (MTI) is conducting a five-year project aimed at the development of practical, cost-effective strategies for reducing the emissions of hazardous air pollutants (commonly called air toxics) from coal-fired electric utility plants. The need for air toxic emissions controls may arise as the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency proceeds with implementation of Title III of the Clean Air Act Amendment (CAAA) of 1990. Data generated during the program will provide utilities with the technical and economic information necessary to reliably evaluate various air toxics emissions compliance options such as fuel switching, coal cleaning, and flue gas treatment. The development work is being carried out using the Clean Environment Development Facility (CEDF) wherein air toxics emissions control strategies can be developed under controlled conditions, and with proven predictability to commercial systems. Tests conducted in the CEDF provide high quality, repeatable, comparable data over a wide range of coal properties, operating conditions, and emissions control systems. Development work to date has concentrated on the capture of mercury, other trace metals, fine particulate, and the inorganic species, hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride.

The authors describe the faculty developmentprogram at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Faculty needs were identified in instructional skill development, academic socialization and mentoring. Committees with campus-wide representation designed the instructional activities. Among the total 749 faculty, 59% attended at least one faculty development offering consisting of one and two-day institutes or two-hour luncheon workshops in the past five years. Evaluations ranked each event highly for quality, relevance, impact on teaching and usefulness. Experiences in creating a successful faculty developmentprogram at an academic medical center are reported. Success was measured by attendee numbers and increased participation of faculty in teaching and mentoring. Factors contributing to this success include generous financial support by leadership, broad-based planning and administrative support.

Have you ever asked yourself, "What will I be doing five or ten years from now?" "Will I be doing the same thing I'm doing right now?" How would you feel if the answer were "yes"? I often wonder if any of my employees think the same thing. If they do, and the answer is "yes," just how does that make them feel? A day's work for managers can run the gamut--from billing and coding, to patient issues, to staff performance reviews, to CQI, to JCAHO-just to name a few. We're NEVER bored. Can we say the same of our employees, or do they do the same thing day in and day out? If so, it's no wonder that attitudes may become negative and motivation and productivity may decline. What are we as healthcare managers and administrators doing to value and continually train our employees so that staff morale, productivity and patient satisfaction remain high? What are we doing to keep those highly motivated employees motivated and challenged so that they don't get bored and want to move across town to our neighboring hospital or healthcare center? What are we doing to stop our employees from developing the "same job, different day" attitude? A Career Ladder program holds many benefits and opportunities for the motivated employee who seeks and needs additional challenges on the job. It affords them opportunities to learn new skills, demonstrate initiative, accept additional responsibilities and possibly advance into new positions. It also affords them opportunities to grow, to be challenged and to feel like an important and valued member of the radiology team and radiology department. For the manager, a Career Ladder program affords opportunities to retain valuable employees, attract new high-quality employees and maintain a workforce of well-trained highly motivated employees, which in turn will provide high quality products and services to our customers. A Career Ladder program is a "win-win" situation for everyone. For the last twelve months, I have been working with other

This study describes the development of a spiritually based intervention to increase colorectal cancer screening through African American churches by framing the health message with spiritual themes and scripture. The intervention development phase consisted of ideas from an advisory panel and core content identified in focus groups. In the pilot-testing phase, prototypes of the intervention materials were tested for graphic appeal in additional focus groups, and content was tested for acceptability and comprehension in cognitive interviews. Participants preferred materials showing a variety of African Americans in real settings, bright color schemes, and an uplifting message emphasizing prevention and early detection. Spiritual themes such as stewardship over the body, being well to serve God, and using faith to overcome fear, were well received. The materials were then finalized for implementation and will be used by community health advisors to encourage screening.

A National Science Foundation Graduate Teaching Fellows in K- 12 Education program at UCLA (SEE-LA; http://measure.igpp.ucla.edu/GK12-SEE-LA/ ) partners UCLA faculty and graduate students (fellows) with urban middle and high school science teachers and their students to foster programs of science and engineering exploration that bring the environment of Los Angeles into the classroom. UCLA graduate fellows serve as scientists-in-residence at four partner schools to integrate inquiry-based science lessons, facilitate advancements in science content teaching, and ultimately, to improve their own science communication skills. As part of their fellowship, graduate students are required to develop inquiry-based lessons in their partner classroom. During the first two years of the project, the SEE-LA fellows have developed a range of inquiry-based activities, from invertebrate observations in an urban stream system, to water and home energy consumption surveys, to a school biodiversity investigation, to a school-wide alternative energy fair, to engineering the cleanup of environmental disasters, such as the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Several of the current fellows have dissertation research in water resource related fields and are specifically integrating lessons specific to their research into their partner classrooms, including urban stream water quality, post-fire watershed behavior, beach water quality assessment and E. coli source tracking. This presentation will provide an overview of goals of the SEE-LA GK-12 program, development of inquiry-based water resource lessons and resulting engagement in the partner classrooms. University and local pre-college school partnerships provide an excellent opportunity to support the development of graduate student communication and teaching skills while also contributing significantly to the integration of science education into K-12 curriculum.

This manual is a guide to developing a comprehensive career developmentprogram in a local school district. It is based on the experience of programdevelopment in Neptune Township, New Jersey, following the National Career Development Guidelines of the National Occupational Information Coordinating Committee and the subsequent Comprehensive…

The Humid Air Turbine (HAT) Cycle Technology DevelopmentProgram focused on obtaining HAT cycle combustor technology that will be the foundation of future products. The work carried out under the auspices of the HAT Program built on the extensive low emissions stationary gas turbine work performed in the past by Pratt & Whitney (P&W). This Program is an integral part of technology basedevelopment within the Advanced Turbine Systems Program at the Department of Energy (DOE) and its experiments stretched over 5 years. The goal of the project was to fill in technological data gaps in the development of the HAT cycle and identify a combustor configuration that would efficiently burn high moisture, high-pressure gaseous fuels with low emissions. The major emphasis will be on the development of kinetic data, computer modeling, and evaluations of combustor configurations. The Program commenced during the 4th Quarter of 1996 and closed in the 4th Quarter of 2001. It teamed the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) with P&W, the United Technologies Research Center (UTRC), and a subcontractor on-site at UTRC, kraftWork Systems Inc. The execution of the program started with bench-top experiments that were conducted at UTRC for extending kinetic mechanisms to HAT cycle temperature, pressure, and moisture conditions. The fundamental data generated in the bench-top experiments was incorporated into the analytical tools available at P&W to design the fuel injectors and combustors. The NETL then used the hardware to conduct combustion rig experiments to evaluate the performance of the combustion systems at elevated pressure and temperature conditions representative of the HAT cycle. The results were integrated into systems analysis done by kraftWork to verify that sufficient understanding of the technology had been achieved and that large-scale technological application and demonstration could be undertaken as follow-on activity. An optional program extended the

The objectives of this program are to provide design criteria, techniques, materials, and test methods to ensure control of absolute and differential charging of spacecraft surfaces. The control of absolute and differential charging of spacecraft cannot be effected without the development of new and improved or modified materials or techniques that will provide electrical continuity over the surface of the spacecraft. The materials' photoemission, secondary emission, thermooptical, physical, and electrical properties in the space vacuum environment both in the presence and absence of electrical stress and ultraviolet, electron, and particulate radiation, are important to the achievement of charge control. The materials must be stable or have predictable response to exposure to the space environment for long periods of time. The materials of interest include conductive polymers, paints, transparent films and coatings as well as fabric coating interweaves.

Multifaceted, sustained efforts are needed to reduce early pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases among high-risk adolescents. An important area for research is testing youth development interventions offered through clinic settings, where access to high-risk adolescents is plentiful and few efforts have rigorously evaluated a dual approach of building protective factors while addressing risk. This article presents findings from a pilot study of Prime Time, a clinic-based youth development intervention to reduce sexual risk behaviors among girls at risk for early pregnancy. Girls aged 13 to 17 years meeting specified risk criteria were assigned to Prime Time treatment groups. The Prime Time intervention included a combination of case management services and peer leadership groups. Participants completed self-report surveys at baseline, 12 and 18 months following enrollment. At 12 months, the intervention group reported significantly fewer sexual partners than the control group. At 18 months, the intervention group reported significantly more consistent condom use with trends toward more consistent hormonal and dual method use. Dose-response analyses suggested that relatively high levels of exposure to a youth development intervention were needed to change contraceptive use behaviors among adolescents at risk for early pregnancy. Given promising findings, further testing of the Prime Time intervention is warranted.

This paper analyzes the educational effects of a peer-learning agent based on pair programming in programming courses. A peer-learning agent system was developed to facilitate the learning of a programming language through the use of pair programming strategies. This system is based on the role of a peer-learning agent from pedagogical and…

Selective attention and efficacy are important components of scholastic performance in school children. While attempts are being made to introduce new methods to improve academic performance either as part of curricular or extracurricular activities in schools, the success rates are minimal. Hence, this study assessed the effect of yoga-based intervention on psychomotor performance and self-efficacy in school children. Two hundred ten school children with ages ranging from 11 to 16 years (mean age ± SD; 13.7 ± 0.8 years) satisfying the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited for the 10-day yogä program. An equal number of age-matched participants (n = 210; mean ± SD; 13.1 ± 0.8 years) were selected for the control group. Participants were assessed for attention and performance at the beginning and end of 10 days using trail making task (TMT) A and B, and self-efficacy questionnaire. The yoga group showed higher self-efficacy and improved performance after 10 days of yoga intervention. The performance in TMT-A and -B of the yoga group showed a significantly higher number of attempts with a reduction in time taken to complete the task and a number of wrong attempts compared with control group. Results suggest that yoga practice enhances self-efficacy and processing speed with fine motor coordination, visual–motor integration, visual perception, planning ability, and cognitive performance. PMID:27379220

Background Although drug abuse has been a serious public health concern, there have been problems with implementation of treatment for drug users in Japan because of poor accessibility to treatment, concerns about stigma and confidentiality, and costs. Therapeutic interventions using the Internet and computer technologies could improve this situation and provide more feasible and acceptable approaches. Objective The objective of the study was to show how we developed a pilot version of a new Web-based cognitive behavioral relapse prevention program with tailored feedback to assist people with drug problems and assessed its acceptance and usability. Methods We developed the pilot programbased on existing face-to-face relapse prevention approaches using an open source Web application to build an e-learning website, including relapse prevention sessions with videos, exercises, a diary function, and self-monitoring. When users submitted exercise answers and their diary, researchers provided them with personalized feedback comments using motivational interviewing skills. People diagnosed with drug dependence were recruited in this pilot study from a psychiatric outpatient ward and nonprofit rehabilitation facilities and usability was evaluated using Internet questionnaires. Overall, website usability was assessed by the Web Usability Scale. The adequacy of procedures in the program, ease of use, helpfulness of content, and adverse effects, for example, drug craving, mental distress, were assessed by original structured questionnaires and descriptive form questions. Results In total, 10 people participated in the study and completed the baseline assessment, 60% completed all relapse prevention sessions within the expected period. The time needed to complete one session was about 60 minutes and most of the participants took 2 days to complete the session. Overall website usability was good, with reasonable scores on subscales of the Web Usability Scale. The participants

The main objective of the Base Research Program was to conduct both fundamental and applied research that will assist industry in developing, deploying, and commercializing efficient, nonpolluting fossil energy technologies that can compete effectively in meeting the energy requirements of the Nation. In that regard, tasks proposed under the WRI research areas were aligned with DOE objectives of secure and reliable energy; clean power generation; development of hydrogen resources; energy efficiency and development of innovative fuels from low and no-cost sources. The goal of the Base Research Program was to develop innovative technology solutions that will: (1) Increase the production of United States energy resources--coal, natural gas, oil, and renewable energy resources; (2) Enhance the competitiveness of United States energy technologies in international markets and assist in technology transfer; (3) Reduce the nation's dependence on foreign energy supplies and strengthen both the United States and regional economies; and (4) Minimize environmental impacts of energy production and utilization. This report summarizes the accomplishments of the overall BaseProgram. This document represents a stand-alone Final Report for the entire Program. It should be noted that an interim report describing the Program achievements was prepared in 2003 covering the progress made under various tasks completed during the first five years of this Program.

The Chevron/Mayoral Fellowship program in New Orleans is described. The program provides private funding to support 30 selected high school students each summer in internships in city government agencies. Evaluation after three years has been positive and demonstrate the potential of a governmental/public/private educational program. (DB)

Objective: To establish the underlying theory and benefits and describe the implementation of a problem-based learning curriculum. Data Sources: I searched MEDLINE, SPORT Discus, and nursing, evidence-based medicine, and educational psychology databases from 1987 through 2002 using the terms problem-based learning, physical therapy, nursing, and medicine. Data Synthesis: In the problem-based learning process, students encounter a problem, bring to it their preconceived understanding (accurate or not), learn to identify what they need to learn to better understand the problem, engage in self-directed study, and begin to resolve the problem. Problem-based learning has its origins in medical education but is widely used in K–12 education, social sciences, health professions education, law, business administration, engineering, and aviation. An entry-level master of science degree program in athletic training based on problem-based learning and integrated clinical education is described. Conclusions/Recommendations: Problem-based learning curricula, if implemented correctly, can facilitate the entry-level athletic training student's professional development into that of a life-long learner who bases clinical decisions and procedures on the best available evidence. PMID:12937544

The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the impact of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) grant programs of 5 federal agencies National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Education (USDE), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and…

Asking clients to document their perceived quality of life during and after intervention is a popular approach employed by helping professionals to evaluate intervention programs. In the Project Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programmes (P.A.T.H.S.), students participating in the Experimental Implementation Phase and Full…

While today's schools in several countries, like Canada, are about to bring back programming to their curricula, a new conceptual angle, namely one of computational thinking, draws attention of researchers. In order to understand the articulation between computational thinking tasks in one side, student's targeted skills, and the types of problems…

In this paper, we present an overview of the current technology portfolio for Mars Base Technology Program. Brief descriptions of the awarded technologies and the high-priority areas in both NRAs are provided to show the current focus of MTP. We also present the approach that MTP uses to evaluate technology maturity for each of the technology tasks.

The third quarter (April-June, 1978) effort of the Ford/DOE Automotive Stirling Engine DevelopmentProgram is reported, specifically Task 1 of that effort, which is Fuel Economy Assessment. At the end of this quarter the total fourth generation fuel economy projection was 26.12 MPG (gasoline) with a confidence level of 44%. This represents an improvement of 66.4% over the baseline M-H fuel economy of 15.7 MPG. The confidence level for the original 20.6 MPG goal has been increased from 53% to 57%. Engine 3X17 has accumulated a total of 213 hours of variable speed running. A summary of the individual sub-tasks of Task 1 are given. The sub-tasks are grouped into two categories: Category 1 consists of those sub-tasks which are directly related to fuel economy and Category 2 consists of those sub-tasks which are not directly related to fuel economy but are an integral part of the Task 1 effort.

Strong geoscience programs are essential for preparing future geoscientists and developing a broad public understanding of our science. Faculty working as a department team can create stronger programs than individual faculty working alone. Workshops sponsored by Project Kaleidoscope (www.pkal.org) on departmental planning in the geosciences have emphasized the importance of designing programs in the context of both departmental and student goals. Well-articulated goals form a foundation for designing curriculum, courses, and other departmental activities. Course/skill matrices have emerged as particularly valuable tools for analyzing how individual courses combine in a curriculum to meet learning goals. Integrated programs where students have opportunities to learn and use skills in multiple contexts have been developed at several institutions. Departments are leveraging synergies between courses to more effectively reach departmental goals and capitalize on opportunities in the larger campus environment. A full departmental program extends beyond courses and curriculum. Studies in physics (National Task Force on Undergraduate Physics, Hilborne, 2002) indicate the importance of activities such as recruiting able students, mentoring students, providing courses appropriate for pre-service K-12 teachers, assisting with professional development for a diversity of careers, providing opportunities for undergraduates to participate in research, and making connections with the local industries and businesses that employ graduates. PKAL workshop participants have articulated a wide variety of approaches to undergraduate research opportunities within and outside of class based on their departmental goals, faculty goals, and resources. Similarly, departments have a wide variety of strategies for developing productive synergies with campus-wide programs including those emphasizing writing skills, quantitative skills, and environmental studies. Mentoring and advising

Poor inter-rater reliability is a major concern, contributing to error variance, which decreases power and increases the risk for failed trials. This is particularly problematic with the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), due to lack of standardized questions or explicit scoring procedures. Establishing standardized procedures for administering and scoring the HAMD is typically done at study initiation meetings. However, the format and time allotted is usually insufficient, and evaluation of the trainee's ability to actually conduct a clinical interview is limited. To address this problem, we developed a web-based, interactive rater education program for standardized training to diverse sites in multi-center trials. The program includes both didactic training on scoring conventions and live, remote observation of trainees applied skills. The program was pilot tested with nine raters from a single site. Results found a significant increase in didactic knowledge pre-to-post testing, with the mean number of incorrect answers decreasing from 6.5 (S.D.=1.64) to 1.3 (S.D.=1.03), t(5)=7.35, P=0.001 (20 item exam). Seventy-five percent of the trainees' interviews were within two points of the trainer's score. Inter-rater reliability (intraclass correlation) (based on trainees actual interviews) was 0.97, P<0.0001. Results support the feasibility of this methodology for improving rater training. An NIMH funded study is currently underway examining this methodology in a multi-site trial.

The article is an overview of the design of a Managerial Skills DevelopmentProgram Model in an industrial setting which was based on adult education principles. Discussed are: program objectives and philosophy, educative environment, group commitment, group-centered action, program evaluation and revision, manager/instructor teams, and…

Employee developmentprograms (EDPs) are workplace adult education programs which focus on encouraging personal growth and improving confidence and self-esteem through the provision of leisure-basedprograms. EDPs are determined by employee needs, offered free of charge, and conducted outside working hours. EDPs were first implemented in the…

Describes the development of Project 4-Health, a California program that recruits and trains teenagers to deliver a tobacco education program to children ages 9-12. The program was based on studies involving the social context of tobacco use, a survey of 4-H members, and randomized field trials of the prevention curriculum. (LP)

Objective: To develop an online certification program for nutrition education paraprofessionals to increase knowledge and confidence and to overcome training barriers of programming time and travel expenses. Design: An online interactive certification course based on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education and Expanded Food and…

Advances in theories of adolescent development and positive youth development have greatly increased our understanding of how programs and practices with adolescents can impede or enhance their development. In this article the authors reflect on the progress in research on youth developmentprograms in the last two decades, since possibly the…

It is now widely recognised that the environment in early life can have important effects on human growth and development, including the “programming” of far reaching effects on the risk of developing common metabolic and other non-communicable diseases in later life. We have shown that greater childhood adiposity is associated with higher maternal adiposity, low maternal vitamin D status, excessive gestational weight gain, and short duration of breastfeeding; maternal dietary patterns in pregnancy and vitamin D status have been linked with childhood bone mineral content and muscle function. Human studies have identified fetal liver blood flow adaptations and epigenetic changes as potential mechanisms that could link maternal influences with offspring body composition. In experimental studies there is now substantial evidence that the environment during early life induces altered phenotypes through epigenetic mechanisms. Epigenetic processes such as DNA methylation, covalent modifications of histones and non-coding RNAs can induce changes in gene expression without a change in DNA base sequence. Such processes are involved in cell differentiation and genomic imprinting, as well as the phenomenon of developmental plasticity in response to environmental influences. Elucidation of such epigenetic processes may enable early intervention strategies to improve early development and growth. PMID:27088334

Self-assessment tools have previously been used to assess the impact of a faculty developmentprogram on the teaching skills of medical educators. In this study, we aimed to assess the impact of a faculty developmentprogram on the teaching performances of faculty members in relation to their medical disciplines and academic positions. A…

Among the services added to Harlem (New York) Hospital's opthalmology department was a sight conservation program designed to alert the community to the need for eye care and to screen for early signs of eye disorders causing sight impairment. (SB)

Peer-based youth services provided by small non-profit community organisations have grown in number over the past two decades in response to an increasing need for informal, youth-friendly, accessible and confidential early intervention services. However, gaps in the evidence base and a general lack of evaluation capacity of service providers…

Distinguishes between natural resource programs and natural resource projects and provides a project planning outline. Addresses critical elements and concerns in the development of natural resource programs. (DDR)

Depression is a family matter. It not only diminishes the quality-of-life of the depressed person, but also strains the resources of the family unit and increases the children's risk of developing significant problems that start early and persist into adulthood. Although treatment of a parent's depression is critical, many families also need…

The curriculum guide presents the activities component of the Human DevelopmentProgram for grade 5. The Human DevelopmentProgram (HDP) is an affective curricular approach developed by psychologists to help teachers instill responsibility and self-confidence in children. The activity guide presents topics and directions for 180 sequential Human…

The Site Program is formed by five research programs: the Demonstration Program, the Emerging Technology Program, the Measurement and Monitoring Technology DevelopmentProgram, the Innovative Technology Program, and the Technology Transfer Program. The Emerging Technology (ET) P...

The preparation of building flight hardware and carrying out experiments in space was investigated. The ground based investigation phase A/B of the experimental float zoning of silicon is outlined. The overall program goals, leading to recommending experiments to be done in phase C/D are spelled out. Thermophysical properties which must be accurately known to compare thermophysical models to experimental zoning of silicon are listed.

The International Geophysical Year (IGY, 1957-1958) was the global coordination program that leads to develop of scientific collaboration in the world. IGY was based on the previous experience gained during International Polar Years. The most remarkable point for IGY was the first Sputnik that opens the space era. Since that we count direct outer space exploration. The combination of ground-based and satellite observations lead to form of a new science Solar-Terrestrial Physics. Since IGY we have the period of intensive development of STP in Russia, which include many programs and projects. In 1957-1963 we gain two main results: the network of research institutes and observatories as well as many space probes as COSMOS-49, COSMOS-321 etc. The leading role in developing of STP since IGY till nowadays belongs to IZMIRAN (Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation Russian Academy of Sciences). First director of IZMIRAN Prof. Nikolay Pushkov (1903-1981) strongly advocate for international cooperation and was one of the key figure in IGY. In May 2003 we celebrate his 100th birthday on special Symposium, which will be held in IZMIRAN. During past 45 years it was built and sent into space many space instruments including magnetometers, ionospheric sounders, VLF sensors, etc. Last satellite is CORONAS-F , which launched at July31, 2001 and successfully operate now. On the international scene all experimental space research coordinated by COSPAR and solar-terrestrial physics coordinated by SCOSTEP. In a new born Russia the COSPAR partner is Space Research Institute and for SCOSTEP is Sun-Earth Scientific Council. As the recent achievement in the area of STP in Russia we might consider INTERBALL program. The progress in STP based also on the usage of Internet as the data storage with remote on-line access, with the system for search and exchange of information, and with search engines in Russian language. At nowadays we have more than 300 sites

Patterson Air Force Base , Ohio S APR28 I3U " a3 04 28 087 E V AFIT/GE/EE/83M-3 AN AhjROID RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENTPROGRAM THESIS AFIT/GE/EE/83M-3...stores.. .Jerome Hamlin constructed a robot ’butler’ at home. He named it Comro I and persuaded Neiman-Marcus to feature the robot, priced at $15,000, in...already selling computer controlled arms and bodies in kit form that range in price from $700 to $2500, and there are rumors that some toy companies have 2

Workforce developmentprograms provide training and education to welfare recipients to prepare them to obtain and retain employment in their communities. Federal, state, and local investments are made to develop and implement programs. But, do these programs have relationships with local employers to obtain their input to provide the education and…

The general purpose of this study was to develop an educational program for agricultural development in Iraq, and to identify the best method for its implementation. The proposed program was based primarily upon relevant factors identified through data collection from the following sources: official records, current literature, and the writer's…

Described are various aspects of a program to train school personnel to meet the special needs of mainstreamed children. The staff developmentprogram is discussed in terms of program responsibility, strategy, and steps taken by the principal in the implementation procedure. The four stages of Project RETAP, a special education in-service program…

Through the Office of Technology Development (OTD), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has initiated a national applied research, development, demonstration, testing, and evaluation program, whose goal has been to resolve the major technical issues and rapidly advance technologies for environmental restoration and waste management. The Innovative Technology Development (ITD) Program was established as a part of the DOE, Research, Development, Demonstration, Testing, and Evaluation (RDDT&E) Program. The plan is part of the DOE`s program to restore sites impacted by weapons production and to upgrade future waste management operations. On July 10, 1990, DOE issued a Program Research and Development Announcement (PRDA) through the Idaho Operations Office to solicit private sector help in developing innovative technologies to support DOE`s clean-up goals. This report presents summaries of each of the seven projects, which developed and tested the technologies proposed by the seven private contractors selected through the PRDA process.

Professional development for educators has been defined as the process or processes by which teachers achieve higher levels of professional competence and expand their understanding of self, role, context and career (Duke and Stiggins, 1990). Currently, there is limited research literature that examines the effect a professional development course, which uses David Kolb's experiential learning model, has on the professional growth and teaching practice of middle school science teachers. The purpose of this interpretive case study is to investigate how three science teachers who participated in the Rivers to Reef professional development course interpreted the learning experience and integrated the experience into their teaching practice. The questions guiding this research are (1) What is the relationship between a professional development course that uses an experiential learning model and science teaching practice? (2) How do the Rivers to Reef participants reflect on and describe the course as a professional growth experience? The creation of the professional development course and the framework for the study were established using David Kolb's (1975) experiential learning theory and the reflection process model designed by David Boud (1985). The participants in the study are three middle school science teachers from schools representing varied settings and socioeconomic levels in the southeastern United States. Data collected used the three-interview series interview format designed by Dolbere and Schuman (Seidman, 1998). Data was analyzed for the identification of common categories related to impact on science teaching practice and professional growth. The major finding of this study indicates the years of teaching experience of middle school science teachers significantly influences how they approach professional development, what and how they learn from the experience, and the ways in which the experience influences their teaching practices.

Background Testing for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI) is an effective public health strategy that can promote personal control of one’s health and prevent the spread of these infections. Multiple barriers deter access to testing including fear of stigmatization, inaccurate health care provider perceptions of risk, and reduced availability of clinic services and infrastructure. Concurrent increases in sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates and demands on existing clinical services make this an even more pressing concern. Web-based testing offers several advantages that may alleviate existing clinical pressures and facilitate appropriate testing access. Objective This paper describes the planning, development, and usability testing of a novel Web-based testing service, GetCheckedOnline (GCO), as a complementary testing option integrated within existing sexual health services within British Columbia (BC). Methods From 2009 to 2014, we engaged a multidisciplinary team in the design and development of GCO. We conducted 3 initial research studies to ascertain the opinions of youth, men who have sex with men (MSM), and STI clinic clients regarding Web-based testing and elicited perspectives of sexual health care providers through focus groups. We developed an informed consent process, risk assessment questions, and test recommendations based on provincial and national guidelines and evaluated these through consultations with clinical and community stakeholders. We also conducted a preliminary health equity impact assessment whose findings also informed the GCO program mode. Finally, from April 2011 to December 2012 we gathered qualitative data from 25 participants on the functionality and usability of a GCO prototype and incorporated their recommendations into a final model. Results GCO launched in the fall of 2014 across 6 pilot sites in Vancouver, BC. The service involves 3 main steps: (1) create an account, complete an assessment, and

The SNAP-8 program has developed the technology base for one class of multikilowatt dynamic space power systems. Electrical power is generated by a turbine-alternator in a mercury Rankine-cycle loop to which heat is transferred and removed by means of sodium-potassium eutectic alloy subsystems. Final system overall criteria include a five-year operating life, restartability, man rating, and deliverable power in the 90 kWe range. The basic technology was demonstrated by more than 400,000 hours of major component endurance testing and numerous startup and shutdown cycles. A test system, comprised of developed components, delivered up to 35 kWe for a period exceeding 12,000 hours. The SNAP-8 system baseline is considered to have achieved a level of technology suitable for final application development for long-term multikilowatt space missions.

Numerous attempts by the U.S. Navy to identify leadership potential within its ranks and to train for such leadership skills have been mostly unsuccessful since the efforts were based upon very subjective perceptions of good leadership qualities. To address this problem, the Navy, with the assistance of Dr. David McClelland, has described a set of…

A research-based treatment model designed to effectively address identified factors related to juvenile sexual offending behaviors is presented. Current research, theory, and national standards related to juvenile sexual offending are each explored with the treatment model reflecting an integration of these 3 components. The use of counseling…

The past few decades have seen middle school teachers in the United States hit especially hard by contradictory messages about the use and importance of technology in support of their standards-based mathematics teaching. This paper considers this dichotomy with respect to the California Mathematics Education Technology Site (CMETS), a…

Compared to other subject areas, the arts seem more difficult to classify and evaluate. However, the arts' methods and content place them at the forefront of evaluation techniques that are beginning to permeate academic subject areas. Effective evaluation of arts programs depends not on principals' artistic expertise but on their ability to manage…

THE THREE MAJOR FOCUSES OF MANPOWER POLICY AND PROGRAMS IN 1967 WERE ON THE CONCENTRATION AND UNIFICATION OF MANPOWER FORCES TO HELP THE NATION'S MOST DISADVANTAGED PEOPLE ACHIEVE EMPLOYABILITY AND DECENTLY PAID JOBS, ON GREATLY INCREASED EFFORTS TO INVOLVE PRIVATE INDUSTRY IN THE TRAINING AND JOB ADJUSTMENT OF THE HARD-CORE UNEMPLOYED, AND ON NEW…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of development and the pilot implementation of a preventive life skills curriculum for Indigenous middle school students in a very remote community college in the West Arnhem region of North Australia. The curriculum integrates proven educational and psychological techniques with…

Curriculum reform is central to the aspirations of many developing countries as they strive to deliver a quality education to their citizens. In State Universities and Colleges in Region VI, with its remarkable achievement of a high literacy rate in a few decades, the next step is bringing its resources to bear on providing a quality education so…

This study aimed to assess the impact of an entire academic teacher development programme at a Midwestern masters comprehensive university in the United States over a period of five years by examining changes in teaching and student outcomes of nine randomly selected programme participants. Researchers analysed syllabi, course evaluations, grade…

The processes of instructional materials development and dissemination used in four Stanford Program on International and Cross Cultural Education (SPICE) projects dealing with Latin America, Africa, China, and Japan are described, and evaluative comments based on a review of the curriculum development process are made. The major purpose of the…

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of the school-based support program (SBSP) as perceived by teachers who participated in this program. SBSP was designed to collectively build the capacity and promote the overall quality of teaching and learning in identified independent schools in the State of Qatar.…

In 2004, the University of Kansas (KU) launched an interdisciplinary Graduate Writing Program as part of a larger initiative to reduce time to degree rates and increase degree completion rates. Serving both domestic and international students, this program employs a rhetorical genre-based approach in a series of courses organized around the genres…

Community-based participatory research provides communities and researchers with opportunities to develop interventions that are effective as well as acceptable and culturally competent. The present project responds to the voices of the North Carolina American Indian (AI) community and the desire for their youth to recognize tobacco addiction and commercial cigarette smoking as debilitating to their health and future. Seven community-based participatory principles led to the AI adaptation of the Not On Tobacco teen-smoking-cessation program and fostered sound research and meaningful results among an historically exploited population. Success was attributed to values-driven, community-based principles that (a) assured recognition of a community-driven need, (b) built on strengths of the tribes, (c) nurtured partnerships in all project phases, (d) integrated the community's cultural knowledge, (e) produced mutually beneficial tools/products, (f) built capacity through co-learning and empowerment, (g) used an iterative process of development, and (h) shared findings/ knowledge with all partners.

We present Saul, a new probabilistic programming language designed to address some of the shortcomings of programming languages that aim at advancing and simplifying the development of AI systems. Such languages need to interact with messy, naturally occurring data, to allow a programmer to specify what needs to be done at an appropriate level of abstraction rather than at the data level, to be developed on a solid theory that supports moving to and reasoning at this level of abstraction and, finally, to support flexible integration of these learning and inference models within an application program. Saul is an object-functional programming language written in Scala that facilitates these by (1) allowing a programmer to learn, name and manipulate named abstractions over relational data; (2) supporting seamless incorporation of trainable (probabilistic or discriminative) components into the program, and (3) providing a level of inference over trainable models to support composition and make decisions that respect domain and application constraints. Saul is developed over a declaratively defined relational data model, can use piecewise learned factor graphs with declaratively specified learning and inference objectives, and it supports inference over probabilistic models augmented with declarative knowledge-based constraints. We describe the key constructs of Saul and exemplify its use in developing applications that require relational feature engineering and structured output prediction.

This study describes a distance learning professional developmentprogram that we designed for the purpose of training science teachers to teach for creativity. The Moodle platform was used to host the training. To ensure that trainees would benefit from this distance learning program, we designed the instructional activities according to the…

This article provides an overview of each of seven programs evaluated as part of the Social and Character Development Research Program (SACD), a federally-funded multiprogram evaluation project. It further examines the theoretical underpinnings, the teaching strategies employed, the content delivered, modifications made to the implementation or…

Activities performed on Mod I engine testing and test results, testing of the Mod I engine in the United States, Mod I engine characterization and analyses, Mod I Transient Test Bed fuel economy, upgraded Mod I performance and testing, Stirling engine reference engine manufacturing and reduced size studied, components and subsystems, and the study and test of low cost casting alloys are summarized. The overall program philosophy is outlined, and data and results are presented.

Mod I engine testing and test results, the test of a Mod I engine in the United States, Mod I engine characterization and analysis, Mod I Transient Test Bed fuel economy, Mod I-A engine performance are discussed. Stirling engine reference engine manufacturing and reduced size studies, components and subsystems, and the study and test of low-cost casting alloys are also covered. The overall program philosophy is outlined, and data and results are presented.

The models were developed at IDA to run in a batch environ- ment on a Control Data Corporation computer and were written in FDRTRAJ language. They were...large, documented system at LAMDA Corporation ; the ANCET programdeveloped at Research Triangle Institute; the NEVUNS system, using ANCET as a central...requirements. 1. ADAGIO The ADAGIO program was originally a program to allocate people from risk areas to evacuation areas in a fashion so as to

A model of programdevelopment and evaluation was developed at Genesee Community College, utilizing a system theory/process of deductive and inductive reasoning to ensure coherence and continuity within the program. The model links activities to specific measurable outcomes. Evaluation checks and feedback are built in at various levels so that…

This guide provides information and suggestions for developingprograms that meet the needs of older adults at community colleges. Recommended procedures are presented for the following stages of programdevelopment: (1) leadership influences, highlighting the process of hiring effective leaders, key leadership skills, and leaders'…

The original 5-yr Automotive Stirling Engine DevelopmentProgram has been extended to 10 years due to reduced annual funding levels. With an estimated completion date of April 1988, the technical achievements and the prospectives of meeting the original program objectives are reviewed. Various other applications of this developed Stirling engine technology are also discussed.

The original 5-year Automotive Stirling Engine DevelopmentProgram has been extended to 10 years due to reduced annual funding levels. With an estimated completion date of April 1988, the technical achievements and the prospectives of meeting the original program objectives are reviewed. Various other applications of this developed Stirling engine technology are also discussed.

The call and need of postgraduate training for teachers in the arts continues to grow, but few programs exist that provide sufficient flexibility or diversity, particularly for theatre educators. This article examines the factors necessary for consideration in the development of new graduate programs. A paramount concern in that development is the…

The study of high power kinematic Stirling engines for transportation use, testing of Mod I and Mod II Stirling engines, and component development activities are summarized. Mod II development testing was performed to complete the development of the basic engine and begin characterization of performance. Mod I engines were used for Mod II component development and to obtain independent party (U.S. Air Force) evaluation of Stirling engine vehicle performance.

Asthma is prevalent in school-age children and contributes to school absenteeism and limitation of activity. There is a sizable literature on school-based interventions for asthma that attempt to identify children with asthma and improve outcomes. The purpose of this review is to describe and discuss limitations of screening tools and school-based asthma interventions. Identification of children with asthma may be appropriate in schools located in districts with a high prevalence of children experiencing significant morbidity and a high prevalence of undiagnosed asthma, provided there is access to high-quality asthma care. We review strategies for improving access to care, for teaching self-management skills in schools, and for improving school personnel management skills. Although studies indicate that school-basedprograms have the potential to improve outcomes, competing priorities in the educational system present challenges to their implementation and emphasize the need for practical, targeted, and cost-effective strategies.

Background We present a software tool called SENB, which allows the geometric and biophysical neuronal properties in a simple computational model of a Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) axon to be changed. The aim of this work is to develop a didactic and easy-to-use computational tool in the NEURON simulation environment, which allows graphical visualization of both the passive and active conduction parameters and the geometric characteristics of a cylindrical axon with HH properties. Results The SENB software offers several advantages for teaching and learning electrophysiology. First, SENB offers ease and flexibility in determining the number of stimuli. Second, SENB allows immediate and simultaneous visualization, in the same window and time frame, of the evolution of the electrophysiological variables. Third, SENB calculates parameters such as time and space constants, stimuli frequency, cellular area and volume, sodium and potassium equilibrium potentials, and propagation velocity of the action potentials. Furthermore, it allows the user to see all this information immediately in the main window. Finally, with just one click SENB can save an image of the main window as evidence. Conclusions The SENB software is didactic and versatile, and can be used to improve and facilitate the teaching and learning of the underlying mechanisms in the electrical activity of an axon using the biophysical properties of the squid giant axon. PMID:23675833

In Stereotactic Radiosurgery, one of the most import factors that must be measured is the accuracy of the localization system, whether it be lasers or camera system; and the coincidence of the localized isocenter to the radiation isocenter. According to TG-142 the minimum deviation between the isocenter determined by the localization device and the radiation isocenter of the machine must be no more that 1 mm. In addition, the minimum deviation, also recommended by TG-142, between the radiation isocenter and the mechanical isocenter of the machine must be no more that 1mm. The purpose of this research was to develop a method that both of these parameters could be measured and add these tests to our patient specific QA, monthly QA, and annual QA procedures. A plastic phantom was constructed with holes drilled in each of the sides to meet at a common point in the middle of the phantom. This common intersection was then set as the isocenter for the treatment beams, and the coordinates of the point were sent to the camera system. Measurements were than taken with both the EPID and GafChromic film with the use of rigid tungsten rods in each hole to mark the position of the holes on the film and EPID. The films were then scanned and the field edges and isocenter positions were determined by taking the coordinates of a point that was halfway between the minimum and maximum points in all cases.

Middle school science teachers in Texas are required to plan and execute constructivist-based multidisciplinary lessons in their classrooms. As secondary and undergraduate students, teachers often failed to learn sufficient science content knowledge and inquiry strategies to enact these mandates. Implementation of those strategies might not take place until science teachers are better educated in science content and in a manner consistent with the vision and goals of constructivism. Participation in a professional developmentprogram focused on increasing teachers' science content knowledge and taught employing the recommended strategies might enable teachers to put these mandates into practice in their own classrooms. This study traced the growth of six secondary science educators from their preservice teacher preparation through their involvement in a Master's in Multidisciplinary Science program to their classroom practices five years following the completion of their graduate degrees. The qualitative analysis suggested that increasing science content knowledge gives teachers greater confidence to teach an integrated science. In addition, experiencing inquiry as students increases the educators' pedagogical content knowledge to more effectively adapt that science content knowledge into inquiry lessons for their students.

Over the course of the 2009 Federal Fiscal Year the United States (U.S.) Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in partnership with the Departments of Defense (DoD) and Energy (DOE), is continuing existing programs and introducing new programs designed to maintain a highly qualified, enduring workforce capable of performing the technical nuclear forensics mission. These student and university programs are designed to recruit the best and brightest students, develop university faculty and research capabilities, and engage the national laboratories in fields of study with application in nuclear forensics. This comprehensive effort constitutes the National Nuclear Forensics Expertise DevelopmentProgram.

The purpose of this study was to develop a substantive theory for community development by school-based agriculture programs through grounded theory methodology. Data for the study included in-depth interviews and field observations from three school-based agriculture programs in three non-metropolitan counties across a Midwestern state. The…

The major accomplishments were the completion of the Basic Stirling Engine (BSE) and the Stirling Engine System (SES) designs on schedule, the approval and acceptance of those designs by NASA, and the initiation of manufacture of BSE components. The performance predictions indicate the Mod II engine design will meet or exceed the original program goals of 30% improvement in fuel economy over a conventional Internal Combustion (IC) powered vehicle, while providing acceptable emissions. This was accomplished while simultaneously reducing Mod II engine weight to a level comparable with IC engine power density, and packaging the Mod II in a 1985 Celebrity with no external sheet metal changes. The projected mileage of the Mod II Celebrity for the combined urban and highway CVS cycle is 40.9 mpg which is a 32% improvement over the IC Celebrity. If additional potential improvements are verified and incorporated in the Mod II, the mileage could increase to 42.7 mpg.

The development of a videocassette program to educate pharmacists about congestive heart failure (CHF) is described. The CHF videocassette program was developed to provide the equivalent of four hours of instruction to pharmacists in continuing-education programs or Pharm.D. degree programs. CHF was chosen as the topic because it is a common medical problem that pharmacists likely would encounter, and the material would lend itself well to visual illustration. A program-development team consisting of a pharmacist-author, an educational-design specialist, and a writer-producer was established. The group dealt first with treatment of ideas, or discussions of ways in which the educational material could best be illustrated. The pharmacist-author developed the text for the program, and the writer-producer converted the text into a script with numbered scenes. Information that could be presented more appropriately in written format was gathered into a supplemental guidebook. A storyboard script that linked the text with the audio and visual elements was developed with the help of a professional director and medical illustrator, and the program was filmed using volunteer and professional actors as well as simple animation. The program comprises two videocassettes that are 40 and 44 minutes long, respectively. The estimated cost of the production was +28,000, which includes estimates of the value of time volunteered by the pharmacist-author, educational-design specialist, nonprofessional talent, and secretaries. The program has been used for six continuing-education programs and two classes of Pharm.D. students; subjective evaluations of the program have been favorable. Videocassette technology can be applied successfully to educational programs for pharmacists.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Exascale class machines will exhibit a new level of complexity: they will feature an unprecedented number of cores and threads, will most likely be heterogeneous and deeply hierarchical, and offer a range of new hardware techniques (such as speculative threading, transactional memory, programmable prefetching, and programmable accelerators), which all have to be utilized for an application to realize the full potential of the machine. Additionally, users will be faced with less memory per core, fixed total power budgets, and sharply reduced MTBFs. At the same time, it is expected that the complexity of applications will rise sharply for exascale systems, both to implement new science possible at exascale and to exploit the new hardware features necessary to achieve exascale performance. This is particularly true for many of the NNSA codes, which are large and often highly complex integrated simulation codes that push the limits of everything in the system including language features. To overcome these limitations and to enable users to reach exascale performance, users will expect a new generation of tools that address the bottlenecks of exascale machines, that work seamlessly with the (set of) programming models on the target machines, that scale with the machine, that provide automatic analysis capabilities, and that are flexible and modular enough to overcome the complexities and changing demands of the exascale architectures. Further, any tool must be robust enough to handle the complexity of large integrated codes while keeping the user's learning curve low. With the ASC program, in particular the CSSE (Computational Systems and Software Engineering) and CCE (Common Compute Environment) projects, we are working towards a new generation of tools that fulfill these requirements and that provide our users as well as the larger HPC community with the necessary tools, techniques, and methodologies required to make exascale performance a reality.

Efficient and intuitive characterization of biological big data is becoming a major challenge for modern bio-OMIC based scientists. Interactive visualization and exploration of big data is proven to be one of the successful solutions. Most of the existing feature selection algorithms do not allow the interactive inputs from users in the optimizing process of feature selection. This study investigates this question as fixing a few user-input features in the finally selected feature subset and formulates these user-input features as constraints for a programming model. The proposed algorithm, fsCoP (feature selection based on constrained programming), performs well similar to or much better than the existing feature selection algorithms, even with the constraints from both literature and the existing algorithms. An fsCoP biomarker may be intriguing for further wet lab validation, since it satisfies both the classification optimization function and the biomedical knowledge. fsCoP may also be used for the interactive exploration of bio-OMIC big data by interactively adding user-defined constraints for modeling.

This work is aimed at developing an experimentally validated computational capability for understanding the complex processes governing the performance of solvent extraction devices used for separations in nuclear fuel reprocessing. These applications pose a grand challenge due to the combination of complicating factors in a three-dimensional, turbulent, reactive, multicomponent, multiphase/interface fluid flow system. The currently limited process simulation and scale-up capabilities provides uncertainty in the ability to select and design the separations technology for the demonstration plan of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) program. We anticipate the development of science-based models for technology development and design. This project will position ORNL to address the emerging opportunity by creating an expandable process model validated experimentally. This project has three major thrusts, namely, a prototype experimental station, a continuum modeling and simulation effort, and molecular modeling and kinetics support. Excellent progress has been made in corresponding activities in this first year in: (1) defining, assembling, and operating a relevant prototype system for model validation; (2) establishing a mathematical model for fluid flow and transport; (3) deploying sub-scale molecular modeling.

Programdevelopment and dissemination in human services present challenges and opportunities for social scientists. Over the past 27 years the Teaching-Family Model of group home treatment has moved from prototype development to widespread dissemination across North America. Reviewing concepts in industry related to product development and dissemination, the application of these concepts to a human services delivery system, and program replication and dissemination data offer information about how innovative human services can be widely adapted and adopted. PMID:8307838

OSRAM Opto Semiconductors (OSRAM) successfully completed development, fabrication and characterization of the large area, polymer based white light OLED prototype at their OLED Research and Development (R&D) facility in San Jose, CA. The program, funded by the Department of Energy (DOE), consisted of three key objectives: (1) Develop new polymer materials and device architectures--in order to improve the performance of organic light emitters. (2) Develop processing techniques--in order to demonstrate and enable the manufacturing of large area, white light and color tunable, solid state light sources. (3) Develop new electronics and driving schemes for organic light sources, including color-tunable light sources. The key performance goals are listed. A world record efficiency of 25 lm/W was established for the solution processed white organic device from the significant improvements made during the project. However, the challenges to transfer this technology from an R&D level to a large tile format such as, the robustness of the device and the coating uniformity of large area panels, remain. In this regard, the purity and the blend nature of the materials are two factors that need to be addressed in future work. During the first year, OSRAM's Materials and Device group (M&D) worked closely with the major polymer material suppliers to develop the polymer emissive technology. M&D was successful in demonstrating a 7-8 lm/W white light source which was based on fluorescent materials. However, it became apparent that the major gains in efficiency could only be made if phosphorescent materials were utilized. Thus, in order to improve the performance of the resulting devices, the focus of the project shifted towards development of solution-processable phosphorescent light emitting diodes (PHOLEDs) and device architectures. The result is a higher efficiency than the outlined project milestone.

TECHNOLOGY Wright-Patterson Air Force Base , Ohio * ~ I IBUON STATEMEN2T AL Appra~id for public r.eaa. . .1. ... Ty..IU..4 6*..IP AFIT/GLM/LSM/87S-8 ~El...managers construct messages based on what the program manager feels is important and not necessarily what is important to the receiver. A communications...Manager/User Communication .. ......... 5- 5 Develop a Program Manager/User Communication Evaluation Tool, Based Upon the Attributes of Communications

For coal-fired power plants utilizing a gas turbine, the removal of ash particles is necessary to protect the turbine and to meet emission standards. Advantages are also evident for a filter system that can remove other coal-derived contaminants such as alkali, halogens, and ammonia. With most particulates and other contaminants removed, erosion and corrosion of turbine materials, as well as deposition of particles within the turbine, are reduced to acceptable levels. The granular bed filter is suitable for this task in a pressurized gasification or combustion environment. The objective of the base contract was to develop conceptual designs of moving granular bed filter (GBF) and ceramic candle filter technologies for control of particles from integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC), pressurized fluidized-bed combustion (PFBC), and direct coal-fueled turbine (DCFT) systems. The results of this study showed that the GBF design compared favorably with the candle filter. Three program options followed the base contract. The objective of Option I, Component Testing, was to identify and resolve technical issues regarding GBF development for IGCC and PFBC environments. This program was recently completed. The objective of Option II, Filter Proof Tests, is to test and evaluate the moving GBF system at a government-furnished hot-gas cleanup test facility. This facility is located at Southern Company Services (SCS), Inc., Wilsonville, Alabama. The objective of Option III, Multicontaminant Control Using a GBF, is to develop a chemically reactive filter material that will remove particulates plus one or more of the following coal-derived contaminants: alkali, halogens, and ammonia.

The Department of Navy has been pursuing a technology developmentprogram for advanced, all-fiber, Ultra Short Pulsed Laser (USPL) systems via Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) programs. Multiple topics have been published to promote and fund research that encompasses every critical component of a standard USPL system and enable the demonstration of mJ/pulse class systems with an all fiber architecture. This presentation will summarize published topics and funded programs.

The objective of this project is to develop practical strategies and systems for the simultaneous control of SO{sub 2}, NO{sub x}, particulate matter, and air toxics emissions from coal-fired boilers in such a way as to keep coal economically and environmentally competitive as a utility boiler fuel. Of particular interest is the control of air toxics emissions through the cost-effective use of conventional flue gas clean-up equipment such as electrostatic precipitators (ESP's), fabric filters (baghouses), and SO{sub 2} removal systems such as wet scrubbers and various clean coal technologies. This objective will be achieved through extensive development testing in the state-of-the art, 10 MW{sub e} equivalent, Clean Environment Development Facility (CEDF). The project has extended the capabilities of the CEDF to facilitate air toxics emissions control development work on backend flue gas cleanup equipment. Specifically, an ESP, a baghouse, and a wet scrubber for SO{sub 2} (and air toxics) control were added--all designed to yield air toxics emissions data under controlled conditions, and with proven predictability to commercial systems. A schematic of the CEDF and the project test equipment is shown in Figure 1. The specific objectives of the project are to: (1) Measure and understand production and partitioning of air toxics species in coal-fired power plant systems; (2) Optimize the air toxics removal performance of conventional flue gas cleanup systems; (3) Quantify the impacts of coal cleaning on air toxics emissions; (4) Identify and/or develop advanced air toxics emissions control concepts; (5) Develop and validate air toxics emissions measurement and monitoring techniques; (6) Establish an air toxics data library to facilitate studies of the impacts of coal selection, coal cleaning, and emissions control strategies on the emissions of coal-fired power plants.

The objective of this project is to develop practical strategies and systems for the simultaneous control of SO{sub 2}, NO{sub x}, particulate matter, and air toxics emissions from coal-fired boilers in such a way as to keep coal economically and environmentally competitive as a utility boiler fuel. Of particular interest is the control of air toxics emissions through the cost-effective use of conventional flue gas clean-up equipment such as electrostatic precipitators (ESP's), fabric filters (baghouses), and SO{sub 2} removal systems such as wet scrubbers and various clean coal technologies. This objective will be achieved through extensive development testing in the state-of-the art, 10 MW{sub e} equivalent, Clean Environment Development Facility (CEDF). The project has extended the capabilities of the CEDF to facilitate air toxics emissions control development work on backend flue gas cleanup equipment. Specifically, an ESP, a baghouse, and a wet scrubber for SO{sub 2} (and air toxics) control were added--all designed to yield air toxics emissions data under controlled conditions, and with proven predictability to commercial systems. A schematic of the CEDF and the project test equipment is shown in Figure 1. The specific objectives of the project are to: (1) Measure and understand production and partitioning of air toxics species in coal-fired power plant systems; (2) Optimize the air toxics removal performance of conventional flue gas cleanup systems; (3) Quantify the impacts of coal cleaning on air toxics emissions; (4) Identify and/or develop advanced air toxics emissions control concepts; (5) Develop and validate air toxics emissions measurement and monitoring techniques; (6) Establish an air toxics data library to facilitate studies of the impacts of coal selection, coal cleaning, and emissions control strategies on the emissions of coal-fired power plants.

The objective of this project is to develop practical strategies and systems for the simultaneous control of SO{sub 2}, NO{sub x}, particulate matter, and air toxics emissions from coal-fired boilers in such a way as to keep coal economically and environmentally competitive as a utility boiler fuel. Of particular interest is the control of air toxics emissions through the cost-effective use of conventional flue gas clean-up equipment such as electrostatic precipitators (ESP's), fabric filters (baghouses), and SO{sub 2} removal systems such as wet scrubbers and various clean coal technologies. This objective will be achieved through extensive development testing in the state-of-the art, 10 MW{sub e} equivalent, Clean Environment Development Facility (CEDF). The project has extended the capabilities of the CEDF to facilitate air toxics emissions control development work on backend flue gas cleanup equipment. Specifically, an ESP, a baghouse, and a wet scrubber for SO{sub 2} (and air toxics) control were added--all designed to yield air toxics emissions data under controlled conditions, and with proven predictability to commercial systems. A schematic of the CEDF and the project test equipment is shown in Figure 1. The specific objectives of the project are to: (1) Measure and understand production and partitioning of air toxics species in coal-fired power plant systems; (2) Optimize the air toxics removal performance of conventional flue gas cleanup systems; (3) Quantify the impacts of coal cleaning on air toxics emissions; (4) Identify and/or develop advanced air toxics emissions control concepts; (5) Develop and validate air toxics emissions measurement and monitoring techniques; (6) Establish an air toxics data library to facilitate studies of the impacts of coal selection, coal cleaning, and emissions control strategies on the emissions of coal-fired power plants.

Criterion-referenced systems are founded on the belief that instruction should be based on the needs of individual pupils. If pupils' needs are to guide instruction, the system must identify the skills pupils need to learn and the sequence for their introduction. Additionally, there must be a way to identify the skills a pupil needs and those he…

This paper describes a university-school collaboration that resulted in the creation and implementation of a field-based teacher education program. Key features of this program included immersion in the field, integrated curriculum, supported reflection, and technology integration. After describing the development and implementation of the…

NASA's Pulsed Plasma Thruster Program consists of flight demonstration experiments, base research, and development efforts being conducted through a combination of in-house work, contracts, and collaborative programs. The program receives sponsorship from Energetics Project, the New Millennium Program, and the Small Business Innovative Research Program. The Energetics Project sponsors basic and fundamental research to increase thruster life, improve thruster performance, and reduce system mass. The New Millennium Program sponsors the in-orbit operation of the Pulsed Plasma Thruster experiment on the Earth Observing 1 spacecraft. The Small Business Innovative Research Program sponsors the development of innovative diamond-film capacitors, piezoelectric ignitors, and advanced fuels. Programmatic background, recent technical accomplishments, and future activities for each programmatic element are provided.

Activities performed on Mod I engine testing and test results, progress in manufacturing, assembling and testing of a Mod I engine in the United States, P40 Stirling engine dynamometer and multifuels testing, analog/digital controls system testing, Stirling reference engine manufacturing and reduced size studies, components and subsystems, and computer code development are summarized.

Community-based groups are organized around particular aspects of early childhood development (ECD), such as literacy, parent education, and early childhood activities. In the Colombian national program, community households call upon women to devote a portion of their home to organized child care for minimal material reward. The Indian Child Development Service subsidizes the payment of organizers; and Kenyan parents construct basic preschool facilities, provide school lunches, and subsidize a teacher. In such cases the government plays a subordinate role, while the burden of program maintenance is carried by the community. These programs share the characteristics that children and adults learn side by side; adult learning ranges from women's literacy, to health, organizational issues, or small-scale economic development; a strong cultural component emphasizes mother tongue language learning, indigenous child-rearing practices, and local working models; physical structures are in homes; capacity-building for the adults is central which will be transferred to other spheres of community life. In the remote coastal villages of Colombia, an organization called Promesa works with mothers on designing their preschool children's educational activities. Promesa began to confront other priority needs in the villages, especially in environmental health and malaria control. A 1990 assessment related that participants' pride, self-confidence, and ability to solve problems regarding the healthy development of their children increased; groups learned to make use of the physical, human, and institutional resources from their environments; and participants' children remained in school and performed better. Conclusions from a decade of loose experimentation suggest that through communication community women can be organized to provide basic early education and early childhood activities can help rural children over the cultural barrier of school.

Positive youth development (PYD) orients youth toward pro-social and forward-looking behavior through programs that emphasize youth empowerment and involvement, focus on skill development and character building, incorporate community collaboration at multiple levels, and include positive adult role models and mentors that interact with youth in…

This study assesses the influence of a two-year language program evaluation on program directors and faculty career development. The study makes use of mixed-paradigms (positivism and qualitative interpretive), mixed-strategies (survey research and qualitative evaluation), one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a post-hoc test of multiple…

California's community colleges continue to play a crucial role in the state's economy by providing students with the skills and knowledge to succeed and by advancing the economic growth and global competitiveness of California and its regional economies through the Economic and Workforce DevelopmentProgram (EWD). The EWD program invests in the…

This dissertation evaluates programs seeking to address educational access and quality in developing countries. Chapter 1 examines the impact of two school feeding programs on enrollment in Sri Lanka. Chapter 2 assesses the relative productivity of several modes of implementing an Indian English education curriculum in India. Finally, chapter 3…

Software vulnerabilities originating from insecure code are one of the leading causes of security problems people face today. Unfortunately, many software developers have not been adequately trained in writing secure programs that are resistant from attacks violating program confidentiality, integrity, and availability, a style of programming…

The current status of the IAC development activity is summarized. The listed prototype software and documentation was delivered, and details were planned for development of the level 1 operational system. The planned end product IAC is required to support LSST design analysis and performance evaluation, with emphasis on the coupling of required technical disciplines. The long term IAC effectively provides two distinct features: a specific set of analysis modules (thermal, structural, controls, antenna radiation performance and instrument optical performance) that will function together with the IAC supporting software in an integrated and user friendly manner; and a general framework whereby new analysis modules can readily be incorporated into IAC or be allowed to communicate with it.

The Solar Concentrator Advanced Development Project has successfully designed, fabricated, and tested a full scale prototypical solar dynamic concentrator for space station applications. A Truss Hexagonal Panel reflector was selected as a viable solar concentrator concept to be used for space station applications. This concentrator utilizes a modular design approach and is flexible in attainable flux profiles and assembly techniques. The detailed design of the concentrator, which included structural, thermal and optical analysis, identified the feasibility of the design and specific technologies that were required to fabricate it. The needed surface accuracy of the reflectors surface was found to be very tight, within 5 mrad RMS slope error, and results in very close tolerances for fabrication. To meet the design requirements, a modular structure composed of hexagonal panels was used. The panels, made up of graphite epoxy box beams provided the strength, stiffness and dimensional stability needed. All initial project requirements were met or exceeded by hardware demonstration. Initial testing of structural repeatability of a seven panel portion of the concentrator was followed by assembly and testing of the full nineteen panel structure. The testing, which consisted of theodolite and optical measurements over an assembly-disassembly-reassembly cycle, demonstrated that the concentrator maintained the as-built contour and optical characteristics. The facet development effort within the project, which included developing the vapor deposited reflective facet, produced a viable design with demonstrated optical characteristics that are within the project goals.

Self-assessment tools have previously been used to assess the impact of a faculty developmentprogram on the teaching skills of medical educators. In this study, we aimed to assess the impact of a faculty developmentprogram on the teaching performances of faculty members in relation to their medical disciplines and academic positions. A faculty-training program consisted of "training skills" and "student assessment instruments" courses. The impact of the program was evaluated by self-reporting of faculty members (a total of 225 reports) 1-2 yr after the program. Both courses were found to be beneficial by nearly all of the attendants. Clinicians benefited more from some topics in the student assessment course and could apply the structured learning and assessment guides, structured oral examination, and objective structured clinical examination more efficiently than their peers from preclinical departments. In conclusion, the results demonstrated that the participants of the faculty developmentprogram modified their teaching activities according to the demands of their clinical practice. The correlations between the benefits and behavioral changes were statistically significant.

Background Retinoblastoma, a curable eye tumor, is associated with poor survival in Central America (CA). To develop a retinoblastoma program in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, twinning initiatives were undertaken between local pediatric oncology centers, nonprofit foundations, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and the University of Tennessee Hamilton Eye Institute. Procedure The retinoblastoma program focused on developing early diagnosis programs in Honduras with national vaccination campaigns, developing treatment protocols suited to local conditions, building local networks of oncologists and ophthalmologists, training local healthcare providers, using modern donated equipment for diagnosis and treatment, and the ORBIS Cybersight consultation program and Internet meetings to further education and share expertise. Pediatric ophthalmologists and oncologists worked with foundations to treat patients locally with donated equipment and Internet consultations, or at the center in Guatemala. Results Number of patients successfully treated increased after the program was introduced. For 2000–2003 and 2004–2007, patients abandoning/refusing treatment decreased in Guatemala from 20 of 95 (21%) to 14 of 123 (11%) and in Honduras from 13 of 37 (35%) to 7 of 37 (19%). Survival in El Salvador was good and abandonment/refusal low for both periods. Of 18 patients receiving focal therapy for advanced disease, 14 have single remaining eyes. Conclusion Development of the program in CA has decreased abandonment/refusal and enabled ophthalmologists at local centers to use modern equipment to provide better treatment. This approach might serve as a guide for developing other multispecialty programs. PMID:19326423

A three-phase comprehensive process for commercial nuclear power training program evaluation is presented. The discrepancy-based methodology was developed after the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor accident. It facilitates analysis of program components to identify discrepancies among program specifications, actual outcomes, and industry…

The Federal program's goal, strategy, plans, and achievements are summarized. In addition, geothermal development by state and local governments and, where available, by the private sector is described. (MHR)

This report summarizes the progress made during the August 1, 2006 - May 31, 2008 award period under Cooperative Agreement DE-FC26-05NT42614 for the U. S. Department of Energy/National Energy Technology Laboratory (USDOE/NETL) entitled 'SECA Coal Based Systems'. The initial overall objective of this program was to design, develop, and demonstrate multi-MW integrated gasification fuel cell (IGFC) power plants with >50% overall efficiency from coal (HHV) to AC power. The focus of the program was to develop low-cost, high performance, modular solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology to support coal gas IGFC power systems. After a detailed GE internal review of the SOFC technology, the program was de-scoped at GE's request. The primary objective of this program was then focused on developing a performance degradation mitigation path for high performing, cost-effective solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). There were two initial major objectives in this program. These were: (1) Develop and optimize a design of a >100 MWe integrated gasification fuel cell (IGFC) power plant; (2) Resolve identified barrier issues concerning the long-term economic performance of SOFC. The program focused on designing and cost estimating the IGFC system and resolving technical and economic barrier issues relating to SOFC. In doing so, manufacturing options for SOFC cells were evaluated, options for constructing stacks based upon various cell configurations identified, and key performance characteristics were identified. Key factors affecting SOFC performance degradation for cells in contact with metallic interconnects were be studied and a fundamental understanding of associated mechanisms was developed using a fixed materials set. Experiments and modeling were carried out to identify key processes/steps affecting cell performance degradation under SOFC operating conditions. Interfacial microstructural and elemental changes were characterized, and their relationships to observed degradation

beyond doubt that the conventional approach was the right one.)  The Short Stirling of World War II. (Britain’s first four- engined heavy bomber...Systems Engineering Technical Leadership DevelopmentProgram Final Technical Report SERC-2012-TR-013-2 February 1, 2012 Principal...2012 to 00-00-2012 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Systems Engineering Technical Leadership DevelopmentProgram 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c

The development, goals, and experimental programs of the three Spacelab Mission Developmental tests are described. The tests were structured as a total simulation of a dedicated mission commencing with experiment solicitation; continuing with experiment development, integration, and mission planning; and ending with the actual conduct of a seven-day 24-hour per day mission in mockup facilities. Topics such as test payload management; payload integration, training, and testing; test operations and program facilities are discussed.

The Child Development Project (CDP) was designed to enhance the development of prosocial characteristics in school children in kindergarten through sixth grade. It was developed and evaluated in a school district (San Ramon) in the San Francisco, California area. The features of the program include: (1) an instructional approach that enhances…

Developing a model for effective large-scale continuous professional development (CPD) for teachers remains a significant obstacle for many governments worldwide. This article describes the development and evolution of Vital--a CPD program designed to enhance the teaching of information communication technology in state-funded primary and…

The objective of the unified database (UDB) program was to develop an automated information system that would be useful in the design, development, testing, and support of new Air Force aircraft weapon systems. Primary emphasis was on the development of: (1) a historical logistics data repository system to provide convenient and timely access to…

Completely integrated thermophotovoltaic (TPV) power sources in the range of 100 to 500 watts are being developed. The technical approach taken in this project focuses on optimizing the integrated performance of the primary subsystems in order to yield high energy conversion efficiency and cost effectiveness. An important aspect of the approach is the use of a narrow band fibrous emitter radiating to a bandgap matched photovoltaic array to minimize thermal and optical recuperation requirements, as well as the non-recoverable heat losses. For the prototype system, fibrous ytterbia emitters radiating in a narrow band centered at 980 nm are matched with high efficiency silicon photoconverters. The integrated system includes a dielectric stack filter for optical energy recovery and a ceramic recuperator for thermal energy recovery. The prototype TPV system uses a rapid mix distributed fuel delivery system with controlled feeding of the fuel and heated air into a flame at the surface of the emitter. This makes it possible to operate at air preheat temperatures well above the auto-ignition temperature of the fuel thereby substantially increasing the system efficiency. The system has been operated with air preheat temperatures up to 1367 K and has produced a uniform narrow band radiation over the surface of the emitter with this approach. The design of the system is described and test data for the system and some of the key components are presented. The results from a system model, which show the impact of various parameters on system performance, are also discussed.

In the continuing development of a hydrogen fueled IC engine optimized for application to a generator set or hybrid vehicle, experiments were performed at Sandia National Laboratories on two engine configurations. The intent is to maximize thermal efficiency while complying with strict emissions standards. The initial investigation was conducted utilizing a spark ignited 0.491 liter single cylinder Onan engine and has progressed to a spark ignited 0.850 liter modified for single cylinder operation Perkins engine. Both combustion chamber geometries were {open_quotes}pancake{close_quotes} shaped and achieved a compression ratio of 14:1. The engines were operated under premixed conditions. The results demonstrate that both engines can comply with the California Air Resources Board`s proposed Equivalent Zero Emission Vehicle standards for NO{sub x} during operation at an equivalence ratio of 0.4. The Onan engine achieved an indicated thermal efficiency of 43% at 1800 RPM, as determined by integration of the pressure-volume relationships. Initial experiments with the larger displacement Perkins engine have realized a gain, relative to the Onan engine, in indicated thermal efficiency of 2% at 1800 RPM, and 15% at 1200 RPM.

The purpose of study is to investigate the effective of using a cooperative learning strategy STAD-basedprogram on developing some oral communication skills of second level students, English Department, Faculty of Education, Sana'a University. Based on literature review, related studies and a panel of jury members' point of view, a list of 5 oral…

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Bioenergy Feedstock DevelopmentProgram (BFDP) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a mission-oriented program of research and analysis whose goal is to develop and demonstrate cropping systems for producing large quantities of low-cost, high-quality biomass feedstocks for use as liquid biofuels, biomass electric power, and/or bioproducts. The program specifically supports the missions and goals of DOE's Office of Fuels Development and DOE's Office of Power Technologies. ORNL has provided technical leadership and field management for the BFDP since DOE began energy crop research in 1978. The major components of the BFDP include energy crop selection and breeding; crop management research; environmental assessment and monitoring; crop production and supply logistics operational research; integrated resource analysis and assessment; and communications and outreach. Research into feedstock supply logistics has recently been added and will become an integral component of the program.

The Department of Energy is responsible for developing a system for the transportation and storage of spent nuclear fuel generated by utility companies. To carry out this responsibility, the Department of Energy established the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (Waste Management Office). The Waste Management office began development of a series of new shipping casks to transport the spent fuel. The purpose of this audit was to review the current development status of the cask designs; compare the original milestone dates to current milestone dates; and review the program funds that have been used to date on the development of these casks. The Office of Inspector General audited the cask developmentprogram in 1987. The audit report (DOE/IG-0244), recommended that program management establish minimum criteria that each cask must meet to qualify for further development funding. Our followup audit found that this recommendation had not been adequately implemented. As a result, the Waste Management office will spend an estimated $143 million on the cask developmentprogram and receive only two cask designs that were originally scheduled to cost $26 million. Moreover, it is not certain, at this time, whether those two cask designs will eventually receive the Nuclear Regulatory Commission certification. Historically, the program has experienced slippage in milestone dates and steady increases in total cost. Management generally agreed with our current recommendations to establish formal contingency plans to counter further delays, develop current baselines and schedules in sufficient detail to adequately control cask development schedules and costs, and reevaluate the current status of the casks under development for the purpose of justifying further development. Management has proposed actions to correct the milestone date slippages and continued growth in the total cost of the program.

Objective Several physical activity interventions have been effective in improving the health outcomes of breast cancer survivors. However, few interventions have provided detailed descriptions regarding how such interventions work. To develop evidence-based practice in this field, detailed descriptions of intervention development and delivery is needed. This paper aims to (1) describe the theory-and evidence-baseddevelopment of the Move More for Life program, a physical activity program for breast cancer survivors; and (2) serve as an exemplar for theory-based applied research. Method The program-planning model outlined by Kreuter and colleagues was used to develop the computer-tailored intervention. Results The tailoring guide developed by Kreuter and colleagues served as a useful program planning tool in terms of integrating theory and evidence-based best practice into intervention strategies. Overall, participants rated the intervention positively, with the majority reporting that the tailored materials caught their attention, were personally relevant to them, and were useful for helping them to change their behaviour. However, there was considerable room for improvement. Conclusion The Move More for Life program is an example of a theory-based, low-cost and potentially sustainable strategy to physical activity promotion and may stand as an exemplar for Social Cognitive Theory-based applied research. By providing a detailed description of the development of the Move More for Life program, a critical evaluation of the working mechanisms of the intervention is possible, and will guide researchers in the replication or adaption and re-application of the specified techniques. This has potential implications for researchers examining physical activity promotion among cancer survivors and for researchers exploring distance-based physical activity promotion techniques among other populations. Trial registrations Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR

Trends in extant literature suggest that more relational and identity-based leadership approaches are necessary for leadership that can harness the benefits of the diverse and globalized workforces of today and the future. In this study, we compared general leadership developmentprograms (GLDPs) and women's leadership developmentprograms (WLDPs)…

In an effort to standardize training delivery and to individualize staff developmentbased on observation and reflective practice, the Air Force implemented the Developmental Training Model (DTM) in its Child DevelopmentPrograms. The goal of the Developmental Training Model is to enhance high quality programs through improvements in the training…

The research and the study focus on the problem of dissociated learning. Why do students fail to connect with knowledge? The purposes of the study are: to summarize research pertaining to brain growth; to describe educational approaches and tactics consistent with this research; to test a brain research-basedprogram designed to connect children…

Objective: To describe the development process of a protocol for a fear of falling interdisciplinary intervention programbased on the main factors associated with fear of falling. Design/methods: The process of developing a protocol consisted of defining the target population, selecting the initial assessment components, adapting the intervention programbased on findings about fear of falling and restriction of activities in this population. Settings: University-affiliated outpatient vertigo, dizziness and falls clinic in coffee-growers zone of Colombian Andes Mountains. Results: An intervention program was developedbased on three main falling conceptual models. A medical intervention, based on a biomedical and pathophysiological model, a physiotherapeutic intervention based on a postural control model and a psychological intervention based on a biological-behavioral model. Conclusion: This interdisciplinary fear of falling intervention programdeveloped is based on particular characteristics of target population, with differences in the inclusion criteria and the program intervention components; with emphasis on medical (recurrent falls and dizziness evaluation and management), psychological (cognitive-behavioral therapy) and physiotherapeutic (balance and transfers training) components. PMID:18225468

The Field Lysimeter Investigations: Low-Level Waste Data BaseDevelopmentProgram, funded by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), is (1) studying the degradation effects in EPICOR-II organic ion-exchange resins caused by radiation, (2) examining the adequacy of test procedures recommended in the Branch Technical Position on Waste Form to meet the requirements of 10 CFR 61 using solidified EPICOR-II resins, (3) obtaining performance information on solidified EPICOR-II ion-exchange resins in a disposal environment, and (4) determining the condition of EPICOR-II liners. Results of the final 2 (10 total) years of data acquisition from operation of the field testing are presented and discussed. During the continuing field testing, both portland type I-II cement and Dow vinyl ester-styrene waste forms are being tested in lysimeter arrays located at Argonne National Laboratory-East in Illinois and at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The experimental equipment is described and results of waste form characterization using tests recommended by the NRC`s {open_quotes}Technical Position on Waste Form{close_quotes} are presented. The study is designed to provide continuous data on nuclide release and movement, as well as environmental conditions, over a 20-year period. At the end of the tenth year, the experiment was closed down. Examination of soil and waste forms is planned to be conducted next and will be reported later.

The present paper is a longitudinal study which aims to develop and deliver cancer nursing education conferences in Honduras using volunteer nurse educators. This program intends to (1) perform site assessments of work environments and resources for cancer care in Honduras, (2) develop cancer nursing education programs, (3) survey conference participants continuing education needs, (4) deliver cancer nursing education conferences, and (5) share data with local and global partners for future cancer programs. The study draws on a longitudinal programdevelopment with site assessments, data collection, and educational conferences at two time points. Assessments and surveys were used for conference development and delivery by volunteer nurse educators. Site assessments and conferences were delivered twice. Data were collected regarding assessments and surveys to inform programdevelopment. Survey data revealed that <4 % had formal training in cancer care and >65 % had internet access. Participants desired more information about handling of chemotherapy, symptom management, and palliative care. Volunteer nurse educators perform site assessments and develop educational programming for cancer nurses. Local and global partners should explore internet-basedprograms between site visits to create sustainable education programs.

This study examined processes at the core of teacher professional development (PD) experiences that might positively impact teacher learning and more specifically teacher change. Four processes were considered in the context of a PD program focused on student mathematical errors: analysis of students' mathematical misconceptions as a lever for…

This manual is designed for the training of inservice facilitator teams, which include regular and special education teachers, administrators, and other school district staff. Inservice facilitator teams are defined as teams which develop inservice programs for their school system. Each chapter focuses on a specific skill for the training teams;…

The Department of Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota and the Science Museum of Minnesota have developed and implemented a successful program for middle school (grades 5-8) science teachers and their students, called Brain Science on the Move. The overall goals have been to bring neuroscience education to underserved schools, excite…

This report examines the participation of Australia's vocational education and training sector in aid projects in Southeast Asia and the Pacific from 1980-1997. It begins with background information on training assistance to developing countries, and it outlines the economic and educational assumptions underlying Australia's aid program to six…

The photonics program at the College of Optical Sciences started nearly 30 years ago. In 1984, the program was focused on development of femtosecond laser sources and their use in investigating semiconductor carrier dynamics. The program grew into polymer and organic optics in late 1989 and was strengthened by the winning of the CAMP MURI from ONR in 1995 that was focused on multifunctional polymers including photorefractive polymers, organic light emitting diodes and 3D direct laser writing. Also in 1995, the areas of glass waveguide and fiber optic materials and devices were added to the program. In 2008, the optical communication and future internet research was started through winning the CIAN NSF ERC. Expertise in thin films, optical storage and the fundamental aspects of light are elements of the overall research program. Holographic 3D display, autofocus lenses, bio-medical imaging and devices for vision have also been ongoing research areas.

This guide, which is intended primarily for adult education practitioners in Virginia, explains the process of developing workplace basic skills programs. Presented first is background information on the guide's development. The following are among the topics discussed in the guide's seven chapters: the need for work force education (changes in…

The written record of Ellison's involvement in Portuguese programdevelopment begins in 1964 when he became chairman of the Portuguese Language Development Group that met at several Modern Language Association meetings before being accepted by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) in 1967. The record ends in the…

In June 1988, the heads of Staff Development of each institution of the Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology were invited to submit brief descriptions of 5 to 10 outstanding programs or practices designed to develop human resources within the college. This directory of exemplary practice provides a selection of the colleges'…

This document presents the curriculum guide for Life Planning Education, a youth developmentprogram that focuses on two of the most important tasks teenagers face: preparing for the world of work and dealing with their own sexual and reproductive development, feelings, and behaviors. These two tasks are integrated in the curriculum in a way that…

The objectives of the NASA Planetary Protection program are to preserve biological and organic conditions of solar-system bodies for future scientific exploration and to protect the Earth from potential hazardous extraterrestrial contamination. As the exploration of solar system continues, NASA remains committed to the implementation of planetary protection policy and regulations. To fulfill this commitment, the Mars Technology Program (MTP) has invested in a portfolio of tasks for developing necessary technologies to meet planetary protection requirements for the next decade missions.

We sought to enable better interoperability and easy adoption of healthcare applications by developing a standardized domain independent Application Programming Interface (API) for an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system. We leveraged the modular architecture of the Open Medical Record System (OpenMRS) to build a Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) based add-on module that could consume FHIR resources and requests made on OpenMRS. The OpenMRS FHIR module supports a subset of FHIR resources that could be used to interact with clinical data persisted in OpenMRS. We demonstrate the ease of connecting healthcare applications using the FHIR API by integrating a third party Substitutable Medical Apps & Reusable Technology (SMART) application with OpenMRS via FHIR. The OpenMRS FHIR module is an optional component of the OpenMRS platform. The FHIR API significantly reduces the effort required to implement OpenMRS by preventing developers from having to learn or work with a domain specific OpenMRS API. We propose an integration pathway where the domain specific legacy OpenMRS API is gradually retired in favor of the new FHIR API, which would be integrated into the core OpenMRS platform. Our efforts indicate that a domain independent API is a reality for any EMR system. These efforts demonstrate the adoption of an emerging FHIR standard that is seen as a replacement for both Health Level 7 (HL7) Version 2 and Version 3. We propose a gradual integration approach where our FHIR API becomes the preferred method for communicating with the OpenMRS platform.

This study describes a distance learning professional developmentprogram that we designed for the purpose of training science teachers to teach for creativity. The Moodle platform was used to host the training. To ensure that trainees would benefit from this distance learning program, we designed the instructional activities according to the Community of Inquiry framework, which consists of three main elements: cognitive presence, teaching presence and social presence. Nineteen science teachers in Oman engaged in the training, which lasted for 36 working days. To measure the effectiveness of the training program on science teachers' instructional practices related to teaching for creativity, we used a pre-post one-group quasi-experimental design. An observation form was used to assess and document participants' practices. Paired t test results showed that there was a statistically significant improvement in science teachers' practices related to teaching for creativity. During the implementation of the training program, we observed that cognitive presence and teaching presence were the two most successful elements of the program. The training program involved participants in different instructional activities which were designed to help them understand the role of creativity in science; a wide range of instructional techniques designed to nurture students' creativity was discussed. The program also provided participants with opportunities to relate their practices to teaching for creativity and to design and implement lesson plans geared toward teaching for creativity. However, the social presence element was not satisfying. Participants' virtual interactions with each other and their engagement in online discussion forums were limited. This paper provides some recommendations to overcome such pitfalls.

This slide presentation reviews the development of Planetary Protection Technology in the Mars Technology Program. The goal of the program is to develop technologies that will enable NASA to build, launch, and operate a mission that has subsystems with different Planetary Protection (PP) classifications, specifically for operating a Category IVb-equivalent subsystem from a Category IVa platform. The IVa category of planetary protection requires bioburden reduction (i.e., no sterilization is required) The IVb category in addition to IVa requirements: (i.e., terminal sterilization of spacecraft is required). The differences between the categories are further reviewed.

Multiple factors critical to the effectiveness of academic phase I cancer programs were assessed among 16 academic centers in the U.S. Successful cancer centers were defined as having broad phase I and I/II clinical trial portfolios, multiple investigator-initiated studies, and correlative science. The most significant elements were institutional philanthropic support, experienced clinical research managers, robust institutional basic research, institutional administrative efforts to reduce bureaucratic regulatory delays, phase I navigators to inform patients and physicians of new studies, and a large cancer center patient base. New programs may benefit from a separate stand-alone operation, but mature phase I programs work well when many of the activities are transferred to disease-oriented teams. The metrics may be useful as a rubric for new and established academic phase I programs. The Oncologist 2017;22:369-374.

Fruit and vegetable consumption impacts the etiology of cardiovascular disease as well as many different types of cancers. Still, Americans' consumption of fruit and vegetables is low. This article builds on initial research that assessed the validity of using a consumer-based psychographic audience segmentation in tandem with the theory of planned behavior to explain differences among individuals' consumption of fruit and vegetables. In this article, we integrate the findings from our initial analyses with media and purchase data from each audience segment. We then propose distinct, tailored program suggestions for reinventing social marketing programs focused on increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in each segment. Finally, we discuss the implications of utilizing a consumer-based psychographic audience segmentation versus more traditional readiness-to-change social marketing segmentation. Differences between these two segmentation strategies, such as the ability to access media usage and purchase data, are highlighted and discussed. PMID:18935880

Fruit and vegetable consumption affects the etiology of cardiovascular disease as well as many different types of cancers. Still, Americans' consumption of fruit and vegetables is low. This article builds on initial research that assessed the validity of using a consumer-based psychographic audience segmentation in tandem with the theory of planned behavior to explain differences among individuals' consumption of fruit and vegetables. In this article, we integrate the findings from our initial analyses with media and purchase data from each audience segment. We then propose distinct, tailored program suggestions for reinventing social marketing programs focused on increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in each segment. Finally, we discuss the implications of utilizing a consumer-based psychographic audience segmentation versus a more traditional readiness-to-change social marketing segmentation. Differences between these two segmentation strategies, such as the ability to access media usage and purchase data, are highlighted and discussed.

The overall goal of the project is to develop a computer-based benchmarking and energy and water savings tool (BEST-Dairy) for use in the California dairy industry - including four dairy processes - cheese, fluid milk, butter, and milk powder. BEST-Dairy tool developed in this project provides three options for the user to benchmark each of the dairy product included in the tool, with each option differentiated based on specific detail level of process or plant, i.e., 1) plant level; 2) process-group level, and 3) process-step level. For each detail level, the tool accounts for differences in production and other variables affecting energy use in dairy processes. The dairy products include cheese, fluid milk, butter, milk powder, etc. The BEST-Dairy tool can be applied to a wide range of dairy facilities to provide energy and water savings estimates, which are based upon the comparisons with the best available reference cases that were established through reviewing information from international and national samples. We have performed and completed alpha- and beta-testing (field testing) of the BEST-Dairy tool, through which feedback from voluntary users in the U.S. dairy industry was gathered to validate and improve the tool's functionality. BEST-Dairy v1.2 was formally published in May 2011, and has been made available for free downloads from the internet (i.e., http://best-dairy.lbl.gov). A user's manual has been developed and published as the companion documentation for use with the BEST-Dairy tool. In addition, we also carried out technology transfer activities by engaging the dairy industry in the process of tool development and testing, including field testing, technical presentations, and technical assistance throughout the project. To date, users from more than ten countries in addition to those in the U.S. have downloaded the BEST-Dairy from the LBNL website. It is expected that the use of BEST-Dairy tool will advance understanding of energy and water

Responding to a national need for a new workforce of HIV care providers as the first generation of providers decrease their practices or retire, the Duke University School of Nursing, with funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration, developed and implemented a program to train nurse practitioners (NP) to assume the full spectrum of primary care services needed by people living with HIV infection and various co-morbidities. The 12-credit program includes course work in HIV-related epidemiology; pathogenesis; psychosocial, political, ethical, and legal issues; and pharmacology and clinical management. Students complete 392 hours of HIV-specific clinical practice in addition to clinical hours required of all NP students. The program is the only distance-basedprogram of its kind in the United States. Online didactic instruction is complemented by campus-based sessions with interprofessional faculty. We describe the 5 overarching goals that frame the program, and challenges and progress toward achieving those goals.

Scala and its multi-threaded model based on actors represent an excellent framework for developing purely reactive agents. This paper presents an early research on extending Scala with declarative programming constructs, which would result in a new agent-oriented programming language suitable for developing more advanced, BDI agent architectures. The main advantage the new language over many other existing solutions for programming BDI agents is a natural and straightforward integration of imperative and declarative programming constructs, fitted under a single development framework.

Distance education offers an opportunity to catalyze sweeping curricular change. Faculty members of the University of Michigan Dental Hygiene Program spent eighteen months researching best practices, planning outcomes and courses, and implementing an e-learning (online) dental hygiene degree completion program. The result is a collaborative and portfolio-integrated program that focuses on the development of reflective practitioners and leaders in the profession. A team-based, systems-oriented model for production, implementation, and evaluation has been critical to the program's success. The models and best practices on which this program was founded are described. Also provided is a framework of strategies for development, including the utilization of backward course design, which can be used in many areas of professional education.

This paper describes an instructional design class's experience developing instruction for the mobile web. The class was taught at a southeastern university in the United States in a master's level computer based instruction course. Two example projects are showcased and student reflections on design issues are highlighted. Additionally,…

The development of technologically advanced, higher efficiency wind turbines continues to be a high priority of the US wind industry. The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is conducting and sponsoring a range of programs aimed at assisting the wind industry with system design, development, and testing. The overall goal is to develop systems that can compete with conventional electric generation at $0.05/kWh at 5.8 m/s (13 mph sites) by the mid-1990s, and with fossil-fuel-based generators $0.04/kWh at 5.8 m/s sites by the year 2000. These goals will be achieved through several programs. The Value Engineered Turbine (VET) Program will promote the rapid development of US capability to manufacture wind turbines to take advantage of near-term market opportunities. These value-engineered turbines will stem from units with known and well-documented records of performance. The Advanced Wind Turbine Program will assist US industry to develop and integrate advanced technologies into utility-grade wind turbines for the near term (1993--1995), and to develop a new generation of innovative turbines for the year 2000. The Utility Wind Turbine Performance Verification Program, a collaborative agreement between the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and DOE, will deploy and evaluate commercial-prototype wind turbines in typical utility operating environments to provide a bridge from developmentprograms currently under way to commercial purchases of utility-grade wind turbines.

A hydrogen fueled engine is being developed specifically for the auxiliary power unit (APU) in a series type hybrid vehicle. Hydrogen is different from other internal combustion (IC) engine fuels, and hybrid vehicle IC engine requirements are different from those of other IC vehicle engines. Together these differences will allow a new engine design based on first principles that will maximize thermal efficiency while minimizing principal emissions. The experimental program is proceeding in four steps: (1) Demonstration of the emissions and the indicated thermal efficiency capability of a standard CLR research engine modified for higher compression ratios and hydrogen fueled operation. (2) Design and test a new combustion chamber geometry for an existing single cylinder research engine, in an attempt to improve on the baseline indicated thermal efficiency of the CLR engine. (3) Design and build, in conjunction with an industrial collaborator, a new full scale research engine designed to maximize brake thermal efficiency. Include a full complement of combustion diagnostics. (4) Incorporate all of the knowledge thus obtained in the design and fabrication, by an industrial collaborator, of the hydrogen fueled engine for the hybrid vehicle power train illustrator. Results of the CLR baseline engine testing are presented, as well as preliminary data from the new combustion chamber engine. The CLR data confirm the low NOx produced by lean operation. The preliminary indicated thermal efficiency data from the new combustion chamber design engine show an improvement relative to the CLR engine. Comparison with previous high compression engine results shows reasonable agreement.

A rapid glass refiner (RGR) technology which could be applied to both conventional and advanced class melting systems would significantly enhance the productivity and the competitiveness of the glass industry in the United States. Therefore, Vortec Corporation, with the support of the US Department of Energy (US DOE) under Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC07-90ID12911, conducted a research and developmentprogram for a unique and innovative approach to rapid glass refining. To provide focus for this research effort, container glass was the primary target from among the principal glass types based on its market size and potential for significant energy savings. Container glass products represent the largest segment of the total glass industry accounting for 60% of the tonnage produced and over 40% of the annual energy consumption of 232 trillion Btu/yr. Projections of energy consumption and the market penetration of advanced melting and fining into the container glass industry yield a potential energy savings of 7.9 trillion Btu/yr by the year 2020.

The Sensors DevelopmentProgram is conducted at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) for the US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Industrial Programs (OIP). The work is being performed in conjunction with the Inert Electrodes Program at PNL. The objectives of the Sensors DevelopmentProgram are to (1) investigate and develop methods of process monitoring/control for operating electrolytic cells and (2) determine safe operating conditions for the inert anodes. The majority of work in FY 1989 involved (1) evaluating Digital Signal Analysis (DSA) methods to monitor inert anode operation and to determine alumina concentration in both PNL bench-scale laboratory cells and the Prototype Inert Anode Test and (2) developing the reference anode against which inert anode voltage signals could be measured by the DSA-based or other methods. 3 refs., 14 figs., 2 tabs.

The main purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a training programbased on the six hats model in developing creative thinking skills and academic achievements in the Arabic language for gifted and talented Jordanian students. The study sample consisted of 59 gifted male and female students of the 7th grade from King Abdullah…

The aim of this research is to investigate the effectiveness of a programbased on the combination of relevance and confidence motivational strategies in developing EFL argumentative writing skills and overcoming writing apprehension among students teachers at Faculty of Education. The design of the research is a mixed research methodology. It…

Described in this final report is the development of a plan to produce and distribute an instructional package for teaching the concepts of competency-based instruction in home economics pre-service education programs in the state of Virginia. Nine Virginia Universities (Virginia Polytechnic Institution and State University, Radford College, James…

The author quotes the statement that the primary goal of the Research and DevelopmentProgram on Reading is to "produce functional reading competence on the part of all persons reading age 10." In evaluating this goal, he considers it to be questionable for several reasons. First, there is no high correlation between reading ability at the age of…

CIEE`s second annual Research and Development Conference will introduce you to some of the results achieved to date through CIEE-sponsored multiyear research performed in three programs: Building Energy Efficiency, Air Quality Impacts of Energy Efficiency, and End-Use Resource Planning. Results from scoping studies, Director`s discretionary research, and exploratory research will also be featured in this report.

CIEE's second annual Research and Development Conference will introduce you to some of the results achieved to date through CIEE-sponsored multiyear research performed in three programs: Building Energy Efficiency, Air Quality Impacts of Energy Efficiency, and End-Use Resource Planning. Results from scoping studies, Director's discretionary research, and exploratory research will also be featured in this report.

Discusses history of United States government programs to ameliorate rural living and economic conditions. Contrasts early successful efforts to improve physical characteristics--road, electricity--with recent lack of success in dealing with intractable problems--unemployment, persistent poverty. Chart of rural development actions outlines rural…

This manual is designed to assist in the development of a criminal justice agency training program. The first chapter is a discussion of various learning principles (motivation, practice, reinforcement, and learning transfer) and how they may help the trainer select instructional strategies later in the process. Administration, trainer, and…

The Reading is FUNdamental program is funded by the Ford Foundation and sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution. Its advisory board is composed of people from diverse fields. It is designed to motivate children to read through experiencing the joy and pride of owning books of their own choice, and its purpose is to help develop and give technical…

Executive developmentprograms (EDPs) have undergone significant change since their introduction in the early 20th century. As an adjunct or alternative to traditional education, EDPs are considered an efficient means of imparting critical, functional, and social-behavior skills to current and future organizational leaders. Consequently, such…

To counteract influences which encourage children and adolescents to smoke, schools can provide smoking prevention and cessation education and a supportive nonsmoking environment. This article suggests resources to develop such programs through student education, school and district policy, and/or governmental regulation. (Author/JL)

The Rural Manpower DevelopmentProgram (RMDP) is an agency of the New Jersey Office of Economic Opportunity established for the purpose of demonstrating the feasibility of a comprehensive manpower service for unemployed or underemployed disadvantaged people from the rural areas of New Jersey. Included in this achievement report is historical and…

Selected papers from the 1991 annual conference of the American Reading Forum are presented in this yearbook. The papers, which deal with issues regarding ways to develop and strengthen a society of active readers, address policies, procedures, and programs for the beginning child reader, the beginning adult reader, and a range of readers in…

Some events of a U.S. Army/NASA Lewis Research Center brush seals program are reviewed, and the development of ceramic brush seals is described. Some preliminary room-temperature flow data are modeled and compare favorably to the results of Ergun.

A study comparing the effect of the Distar reading program and the Lippincott Basic Readers on the cognitive and creative development of 136 kindergarten and first grade children. The major difference between these two approaches is degree of teacher control. Only one significant difference was found between the two approaches. (MS)

THE REACTIONS OF 6,000 BUSINESS EXECUTIVES TO FORMAL UNIVERSITY EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENTPROGRAMS WERE GATHERED BY QUESTIONNAIRE AND A FEW INTERVIEWS. OF THE TOTAL POPULATION, 80 PERCENT REACTED SO FAVORABLY THAT DIFFERENCES IN LENGTH, COSTS, AND QUALITY WERE ALMOST OBSCURED. OF SEVEN ACTIVITIES, THEY RANKED CLASS SESSIONS FIRST, THEN STUDY GROUPS…

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) carries out a wide range of programs to help in the development and commercialization of biobased lubricants. Widespread use of bioproducts will have wide ranging benefits to the environment, the rural economy, and the safety and well being of the A...

The Joint Minorities DevelopmentProgram (JMDP) was a joint enterprise of Organizing and Supportive Agency, Inc. (OSA) and Human Interest Regarding Employment/Minorities Action Coalition (HIRE/MAC) to train black construction workers and organize them into a self-supportive construction cooperative. JMDP evolved in three stages. The first phase…

This study aims to develop a systematic patent training program using patent analysis and citation analysis techniques applied to patents held by the University of Saskatchewan. The results indicate that the target audience will be researchers in life sciences, and aggregated patent database searching and advanced search techniques should be…

The goal of the TU program was to maximize the development of operable hardware and systems which will be of substantial benefit to the public. Five working prototypes were developed, and a meal system for the elderly is now undergoing evaluation. Manpower utilization is shown relative to the volume of requests in work for each month. The ASTP mobile laboratories and post Skylab bedrest study are also described.

We all know that training can empower the computer protection program. However, pushing computer security information outside the computer security organization into the rest of the company is often labeled as an easy project or a dungeon full of dragons. Used in part or whole, the strategy offered in this paper may help the developer of a computer security training program ward off dragons and create products and services. The strategy includes GOALS (what the result of training will be), POINTERS (tips to ensure survival), and STEPS (products and services as a means to accomplish the goals).

The development of a Web-based parent-focused intervention to improve parental awareness and monitoring of adolescent alcohol use was preliminarily evaluated. Upon completion of baseline assessment, 67 parents were randomly assigned to the experimental Web-based parent-focused intervention or an assessment-only control condition. Participants who…

The progress and status of the research and developmentprogram on the iron-air advanced technology battery system at the Westinghouse Electric Corporation during the period June 1978-December 1979 are described. This advanced battery system is being developed for electric vehicle propulsion applications. Testing and evaluation of 100 cm/sup 2/ size cells was undertaken while individual iron and air electrode programs continued. Progress is reported in a number of these study areas. Results of the improvements made in the utilization of the iron electrode active material coupled with manufacturing and processing studies related to improved air electrodes continue to indicate that a fully developed iron-air battery system will be capable of fulfilling the performance requirements for commuter electric vehicles.

The Robotics Technology DevelopmentProgram (RTDP) is a ``needs-driven`` effort. A lengthy series of presentations and discussions at DOE sites considered critical to DOE`s Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM) Programs resulted in a clear understanding of needed robotics applications toward resolving definitive problems at the sites. A detailed analysis of the Tank Waste Retrieval (TWR), Contaminant Analysis Automation (CAA), Mixed Waste Operations (MWO), and Decontamination & Dismantlement (D&D). The RTDP Group realized that much of the technology development was common (Cross Cutting-CC) to each of these robotics application areas, for example, computer control and sensor interface protocols. Further, the OTD approach to the Research, Development, Demonstration, Testing, and Evaluation (RDDT&E) process urged an additional organizational break-out between short-term (1--3 years) and long-term (3--5 years) efforts (Advanced Technology-AT). The RDTP is thus organized around these application areas -- TWR, CAA, MWO, D&D and CC&AT -- with the first four developing short-term applied robotics. An RTDP Five-Year Plan was developed for organizing the Program to meet the needs in these application areas.

Shrinking budgets and increased demands for services and programs are the norm for today's Extension professional. The tasks of procuring grants, developing fund raisers, and pursuing donors require a large investment of time and can lead to mission drift in the pursuit of funding. Implementing a collaborative fee-basedprogram initiative can fund…

Computer applications based on Virtual Reality (VR) has been outstanding in training and teaching in the medical filed due to their ability to simulate realistic in which users can practice skills and decision making in different situations. But was realized in these frameworks a hard interaction of non-programmers users. Based on this problematic will be shown the CyberMedVPS, a graphical module which implement Visual Programming concepts to solve an interaction trouble. Frameworks to develop such simulators are available but their use demands knowledge of programming. Based on this problematic will be shown the CyberMedVPS, a graphical module for the CyberMed framework, which implements Visual Programming concepts to allow the development of simulators by non-programmers professionals of the medical field.

Central State University (Ohio), under a contract with Nichols Research Corporation, has developed a World Wide web based workshop on high performance computing entitled "IBN SP2 Parallel Programming Workshop." The research is part of the DoD (Department of Defense) High Performance Computing Modernization Program. The research…

This paper presents an overview of the Westinghouse Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) development activities and current program status. The Westinghouse goal is to develop a cost effective cell that can operate for 50,000 to 100,000 hours. Progress toward this goal will be discussed and test results presented for multiple single cell tests which have now successfully exceeded 56,000 hours of continuous power operation at temperature. Results of development efforts to reduce cost and increase power output of tubular SOFCs are described.

In August 1988, the Secretary of Energy announced a strategy to acquire New Production Reactor capacity for producing tritium. The strategy involved construction of a New Production Modular High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (NP-MHTGR) where the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) was selected as the Management and Operations contractor for the project. Immediately after the announcement in August 1988, tritium target particle development began with the INEEL selected as the lead laboratory. Fuel particle development was initially not considered to be on a critical path for the project, therefore, the fuel developmentprogram was to run concurrently with the design effort of the NP-MHTGR.

Context: Baseball throwing injuries are common. Emphasis on injury prevention and rehabilitation is made in an attempt to keep athletes on the field of competition. Interval throwing programs are an integral part of training, conditioning, and returning an injured baseball player to the game. Evidence Acquisition: Development of data-driven programs was based on the number, type, distance, and intensity of throws during games, across the spectrum of ages and positions for baseball athletes at all levels of play. Statistical analysis by age, position, and level of play determined the need for separate throwing programs. Means, the high range, game rules, and practical considerations were used to develop each data-based interval throwing program. Results: Data-based age and level-of-play interval throwing programs for pitchers, catchers, infielders, and outfielders have been developed, tested, and implemented for more than 10 years. Progression is based on type and location of injury, symptoms in response to throwing, and preinjury performance profile. Although the throwing programs are highly structured, there is ample opportunity to modify them to meet the needs of individual athletes. Conclusion: Data-based interval throwing programs for baseball athletes are an integral training and conditioning element for both injured and uninjured athletes who are preparing for sports participation. Medical team members should equip themselves with an understanding of how to use the programs for safe training, conditioning, and return to play. PMID:23015866

This report provides an overview of the ``SIMS Analysis: Development and Evaluation Program``, which was executed at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory from mid-FY-92 to the end of FY-96. It should be noted that prior to FY-1994 the name of the program was ``In-Situ SIMS Analysis``. This report will not go into exhaustive detail regarding program accomplishments, because this information is contained in annual reports which are referenced herein. In summary, the program resulted in the design and construction of an ion trap secondary ion mass spectrometer (IT-SIMS), which is capable of the rapid analysis of environmental samples for adsorbed surface contaminants. This instrument achieves efficient secondary ion desorption by use of a molecular, massive ReO{sub 4}{sup {minus}} primary ion particle. The instrument manages surface charge buildup using a self-discharging principle, which is compatible with the pulsed nature of the ion trap. The instrument can achieve high selectivity and sensitivity using its selective ion storage and MS/MS capability. The instrument was used for detection of tri-n-butyl phosphate, salt cake (tank cake) characterization, and toxic metal speciation studies (specifically mercury). Technology transfer was also an important component of this program. The approach that was taken toward technology transfer was that of component transfer. This resulted in transfer of data acquisition and instrument control software in FY-94, and ongoing efforts to transfer primary ion gun and detector technology to other manufacturers.

Today, new ideas and opportunities, fostering the advancement of technology, are occurring at an ever-increasing rate. It, therefore, seems appropriate that a vehicle be available which fosters the development of these new ideas and technologies, promotes the early exploration and exploitation of creative and innovative concepts, and which develops new fundable'' R D projects and programs. At Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), one such method is through its Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program. This discretionary research and development tool is critical in maintaining the scientific excellence and vitality of the Laboratory. Additionally, it is a means to stimulate the scientific community, fostering new science and technology ideas, which is the major factor achieving and maintaining staff excellence, and a means to address national needs, with the overall mission of the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Brookhaven National Laboratory. The Project Summaries with their accomplishments described in this report reflect the above. Aside from leading to new fundable or promising programs and producing especially noteworthy research, they have resulted in numerous publications in various professional and scientific journals, and presentations at meetings and forums.

The increased need and demand for onsite, frequent, rapid, and portable food and bottled water testing for indicators of microbiological and chemical agents led to the deployment of 2 laboratory veterinary equipment sets. A Surveillance Food Laboratory Program (SFLP) was developed to allow Veterinary Corps commanders to establish targeted testing programs to enhance food safety and wholesomeness, along with faster responses to food defense, suspected foodborne illness, and food/water risk assessment missions. To support the deployment of the veterinary equipment sets and the SFLP, 2 new functional courses were developed by the Department of Veterinary Science. The Surveillance Food Laboratory Technician Course teaches essential technical skills that include sample processing, assay methodologies, results review, and interpretation of results produced by these laboratories. The Surveillance Food Laboratory Manager Course, developed for designated managers of the laboratories and laboratory programs, teaches the skills critical to ensuring proper surveillance laboratory oversight, testing, evaluation of results, risk communication, and response to presumptive positive results produced by the laboratories. Together, the courses allowed for the successful deployment of the unique veterinary equipment sets, resulting in development of fully operational surveillance laboratories in support of food protection missions in every major theater of operations.